(ATR) Wimbledon, tennis’s most prestigious tournament and an icon of global sport, will do nothing this week at the impending Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games: stadiums with full capacity of spectators.
In a statement, the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTC) said, “I am delighted to be able to confirm that Main Court and Court 1 will be at 100 percent capacity in the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final.”
It will be the first time outdoor stadiums will have their full stands with spectators at a sporting event in the UK since the Covid-19 pandemic shut down sport in the country and around the world in March 2020.
A stark contrast to what is happening in Tokyo, where the Games will open in just two weeks, postponed in 2020 due to the pandemic.
Japanese media wrote last week that the number of spectators at the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympic Games may shrink further amid the continuing rise in COVID-19 infections in the Japanese capital.
The current plan to allow 50% of venue capacity, with a maximum of 10,000 people, will be reviewed this week by the Japanese government and Tokyo 2020 organizers, according to Kyodo News.
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike announced Friday that holding the Games without an audience should be seen as one of the main options.
Koike made the remarks at his first press conference since leaving hospital on Wednesday after a week-long stay with what was described as “extreme fatigue”.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said earlier this week that the possibility of no spectators remains an option.
At her weekly press conference on Friday, Tokyo 2020 President Seiko Hashimoto said the organizing committee is ready in case the government decides there are no fans in the stands.
Other options are being considered. One of them is to reduce the limit to 5,000 people. Another would have prohibited spectators from attending certain afternoon and evening events.
A maximum viewership of 10,000 viewers was approved at the end of last month at a meeting of the five organizing entities for Tokyo 2020, provided it is reviewed in case the COVID-19 situation worsens. The cap was also approved with the current near-state of emergency in Tokyo expected to be lifted as planned on July 11.
However, daily infections have increased since the state of emergency was lifted last month and it seems unlikely that the quasi-emergency will ever be lifted. The number of Olympic tickets has already been reduced by 910,000 to 2.72 million, about 35% of the total number of places available.
Reportado porSebastián Festy Gerard Farek For general comments or questions, click here, and the best source for news about the Olympics is AroundTheRings.com, subscribers only.
