Less contact, short trips: Tokyo Olympics organizers set out rules

Sounds like fun ! Can’t wait for my tax bill next year

Athletes at the coronavirus-postponed Tokyo Olympics will face regular testing, restrictions on mingling and potential punishment for non-compliance with health rules, organizers said Wednesday as they outlined plans for holding the Games.

After months of talks, officials issued a 54-page report outlining how they believe the Games can go ahead, even if the pandemic is not under control by the new start date of July 2021.

Quarantine requirements will be waived for overseas spectators, who will also be able to use public transport, but they will have to observe rules ranging from mask-wearing and a ban on cheering to keeping their ticket stubs to help contact-tracing.

Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto acknowledged strict safety measures will make the Games "different", but expressed hope they can still be held in a celebratory atmosphere.

"It will be simple rather than festive, but I hope it will be something moving that encourages people through the power of sport," he said.

A very Japan Inc. games. Like the nomikai that you are obligated to go to and chip in to pay for,

unable to unwind over the unwritten rules and forced "encouraging" and "inspirational" aspects.

A ban on cheering, and avoiding speaking loudly.

Well the North Korean athletes are going to feel right at home!

Well, just what you'd expect from organizers that are over 80 years old I guess.

Perhaps they'll loosen things up a bit if vaccinations go well and the virus is beaten back by August.

What a waste of time, resources and money when it doesn't matter as the 'runway' to get these games in the air is damaged half way down with no possible time to repair it. This is just a crash and burn exercise or should I say "cash and burn".

Unrealistic, un implementable and uncontrollable rules unless you want to turn the Olympics into a detention centre sports event.

There is no way you are going to keep the athletes from parties.

and don’t worry about rules for foreign visitors, you won’t have any.

And I would expect up to 40 % of foreign athletes to skip this Olympics. A medals value will be compromised because of it. And foreign vips will not attend if no hospitality as that is why they come in the first place.

at this moment in time , it is still not possible to purchase tickets nor airline tickets for the Olympics. And people’s disposable income has evaporated.

It is simply not right to even consider the games this year.

People use these kind of events as an excuse to take a once in a lifetime kind of trip to somewhere different or interesting. Much like what happened with last years Rugby world cup. Could watch at home and still enjoy it but why not make it into a whole adventure. If you cant experience the host country in all its glory, just postpone and come some other time. Its just the olympics... who cares?

With all this - end the games. I fail to see people enjoying them.

Athletes at the coronavirus-postponed Tokyo Olympics will face regular testing, restrictions on mingling and potential punishment for non-compliance with health rules, organizers said Wednesday as they outlined plans for holding the Games.

After months of talks, officials issued a 54-page report outlining how they believe the Games can go ahead, even if the pandemic is not under control by the new start date of July 2021.

Quarantine requirements will be waived for overseas spectators, who will also be able to use public transport, but they will have to observe rules ranging from mask-wearing and a ban on cheering to keeping their ticket stubs to help contact-tracing.

What planet of the Apes are these people living on??? This is fantasy island. NONE of this is going to be implementable. And what athletes will AGREE to compete under these draconian rules. Mark my words: the Athletes, and maybe even some governments will just decide not to come. That's what's going to happen.

@Aly Rustom, I agree some country may decide to not come, but for the opposite reason you gave. I think the rules aren't strict enough, especially when compared to domestic rules such as that of New Zealand when it was under lock down.

Each and every time restrictions is reintroduced, it has costed the econony dearly. With Tokyo evidently (fraudulently) under testing, and Japan having no laws for mandatory restrictions, I can't see how risk averse countries would feel secured in sending their atheletes here.

Nice to see my tax being used to make guests as uncomfortable, unwelcome as possible. Should be a hoot. Sorry said that too loudly.

Quarantine requirements will be waived for overseas spectators, who will also be able to use public transport, but they will have to observe rules ranging from mask-wearing and a ban on cheering

FFS. Your country wins Gold and you clap politely? What a preposterous bunch of nonsense. Welcome to japan - help yourself to the trains, and just perform the pantomime and all will be well. Until three weeks later when we've taken your money and cases spike, then we can go straight back to blaming foreigners for all our problems.

Less contact, short trips: 

Who will participate?

Quarantine requirements will be waived for overseas spectators, who will also be able to use public transport,

What about people living here or Japanese returning home ?

These rules are laughably impractical. Letting foreigners into the country without proof of vaccination or a negative (preferably multiple negative) PCR test is inviting super-spread.

Expecting overseas visitors who are not aware of Japanese norms to strictly comply with them is delusional.

AND, telling a large group of the world's fittest young men and women, who have trained for years (usually at the expense of all else) not to congregate, party, let off a little steam or (ahem) “canoodle” is..... well there just aren’t any words that come to mind to describe how silly this is

Every olympics, the organizers provide literally tens of thousands of condoms. Every games they run out mid-way and have to order more. They aren’t all being taken home as souvenirs.

Requiring everyone from overseas, both athletes and spectators to provide a negative test or proof of vaccination would be a much more workable solution.

Just to be accurate. Athletes are not send by governments but by National Olympic Committees. And one of IOC’s most stringent rules is that there can be absolutely no government interference in the working or decisions of the NOC’s . And of course we all know politics never interfere with the Olympics.

Now we can all laugh again.

Sh1mon M4sadaToday  08:46 am JST

@Aly Rustom, I agree some country may decide to not come, but for the opposite reason you gave. I think the rules aren't strict enough, especially when compared to domestic rules such as that of New Zealand when it was under lock down.

Each and every time restrictions is reintroduced, it has costed the econony dearly. With Tokyo evidently (fraudulently) under testing, and Japan having no laws for mandatory restrictions, I can't see how risk averse countries would feel secured in sending their atheletes here.

That's another good point!

Wasn't the whole point of these games to support Fukashima? Exactly how? Atherletes staff can't even go there?

Living in Japan but too far away from Tokyo to even care about the olympics, other than while Im online, I will probably not even notice they are being held,if they are held.

"Athletes at the coronavirus-postponed Tokyo Olympics will face regular testing, restrictions on mingling and potential punishment for non-compliance with health rules, organizers said Wednesday as they outlined plans for holding the Games."

Even without the COVID panic, this is a great incentive for athletes to.....not attend the games.

"a ban on cheering"

For the love of God! Cancel them already

Muto said organizers were working on the assumption that a vaccine will not be available by the time the Games begin,

Yeah, go ahead and assume no vaccine, but also assume airlines won't let people fly unless vaccinated. Qantas Airlines announced their decision to require vaccination last week, and others are expected to follow.

Not to mention that Japan may let people in freely without vaccination or quarantine next summer, but can people as easily go back home? Imagine if countries, like Japan right now, also require a negative test 72 hours prior to return, particularly if the virus is still as prevalent as now? Isn't it 40,000yen for such a test in Japan, plus the nightmare of being stuck in Japan if testing positive?

Whatever the Japanese government is smoking I want some. haha

If Sumo matches had gone on without spectators, why not the Olympics as well?

Bringing in general public from all over the world means more risks.of Covid virus. unless they are vaccinated

This is pure insanity and demonstrates how little the Japanese Government (Koike and Suga and the gang) care about the Japanese citizens; and even less about foreigners (living here or travelling to Japan).

I will give a full confession; I stopped reading the article after this statement because it is one of the most idiotic things I have read relative to the Olympics (Bold added by me)

After months of talks, officials issued a 54-page report outlining how they believe the Games can go ahead, even if the pandemic is not under control by the new start date of July 2021.

There was a time where I thought having the games in 2021 could be a positive thing; almost a celebration of "beating the virus" (assuming that would be done). Now with the statement above it leads me to believe this should be cancelled. As many other people have identified above the Olympics will not be attended by many people. A simple cost benefit analysis would prove beyond a doubt that the wise economic choice is to cancel. The money can be redirected to help people and small businesses who are struggling now and in dire need of assistance.

Unfortuntately those making these decisions do not have to worry about money.

FFS. Your country wins Gold and you clap politely? 

At least the golfers will feel right at home.

'Remember that time when we all spent the night in a Police station during the Tokyo olympics.... for cheering'

These rules make me all hyped and excited!

Sarcasm aside I wonder if people already have buyer's remorse with their tickets.

They are not going to enforce a single thing.

'Quarantine requirements will be waived for overseas spectators, who will also be able to use public transport'

So I guess I can look forward to just staying home to try and avoid idiots spreading the virus everywhere well into next year? ...Great.

Please, do us and yourself a last favor and buy ECMOs or build treatment facilities from the remaining money. Can’t you really understand what’s going on everywhere? If not capable of thinking then just have some little mercy, you crazy Olympic ‘sports’ enthusiasts.

@virusrex

Do you understand now my post from yesterday, when I said that more and more people are getting suspicious about the safety of the vaccine and will deny it?

Here we go....

Realalistically, I cannot see these games going ahead.

Dispite modern technology, the whole world is not going to drop everything to spend 2 weeks on-line watching these games.

All efforts should now be concentrated on the 2024 games in Paris, when hopefully by then Convid-19 will be 99% eradicated, and economies will be back on-track again.

Tokyo can always apply in the future now that it has the necessary facilities in place.

Japan has worked very hard preparing for these games, but I think that there is a reality here.

a ban on cheering

it would totally work out.. if this was an Asian Cup or something

Athletes at the coronavirus-postponed Tokyo Olympics will face regular testing, restrictions on mingling and potential punishment for non-compliance with health rules, organizers said Wednesday as they outlined plans for holding the Games.

Imagine expecting the NBA stars if they will even turn up abiding. These clowns have forgotten that it

wasn't even possible to prevent people from heading to pachinko during the first phase. Maybe Muto and

his deluded gang think the Olympics is like Sumo attended mostly by old people who show their excitement

by throwing zabuton around.

This rules are insufficient and optimistic to prevent Covid-19 epidemic.

Self-righteous Olympics 2020 will increase burden to Japan's medical services that already exhausted physically, mentally and economically.

besides, Japan's Suga government who want to prioritize "Olympics filled with fans" than health and safe of people will loosen even rules for safety.

And I will expect this Olympics to be missed by up to 40 percent of international athletes. The prestige of a medal would be compromised because of that. It is still not possible to buy tickets or plane tickets for the Olympics at this point in time. And the net wealth of individuals has evaporated.