Tokyo 2020 spectator ban extended to Fukushima, Sapporo

(ATR) The Tokyo 2020 spectator ban now includes two large venues outside the capital and its surrounding areas.

The organizing committee announced on Saturday that no fans will be allowed to attend the baseball and softball games at the Fukushima Azuma Baseball Stadium. Late on Friday it was revealed that the men’s and women’s soccer games scheduled for the Sapporo Dome will also be held without spectators.

It was announced on Thursday after the five party meeting among all the organizing bodies that the two venues were not affected by the ban on spectators for all venues in Tokyo and the surrounding prefectures of Saitama, Chiba and Kanagawa.

Tokyo 2020 organizers say the about face became necessary after the Fukushima and Hokkaido prefectural governments made the decision to hold all events behind closed doors. Hokkaido officials said the decision was made because of the difficulty of preventing travel from Tokyo, where a state of emergency has been declared until August 22.

Organizers said the results of the recent ticket lottery released on the Tokyo 2020 website on Saturday will initially still be showing details of those who were selected to attend the events in Fukushima and Sapporo, but these will be labeled “Ticket Not Available” and it will not be possible to download the tickets.

Affected ticket holders will be contacted directly by mail to get their money back.

No changes are currently planned in the number of spectators admitted to events in Miyagi, Ibaraki (via the student ticket program), and Shizuoka prefectures.

Written by Gerard Farek