British fans at the Rio Summer Games in 2016. A million tickets for Tokyo have been sold overseasThere will be no international fans at the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo this summer, after the organising committee ruled that barring spectators from overseas would help to ensure a safer event. Organisers came to the decision after discussions with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and advice from the Japanese authorities that it was “highly unlikely that entry into Japan will be guaranteed for people from overseas” by the summer. Thomas Bach, president of the IOC, said it had been a “difficult” decision. “We share the disappointment of all enthusiastic Olympic fans from around the world, and of course the families and friends of the athletes, who were planning to come to the Games,” he

Source: The Times March 21, 2021 00:00 UTC