(SATSports) – No alcohol, no hugs, no cheers and no autographs: Tokyo Olympic organizers unveiled tough new rules for spectators at the pandemic Games on Wednesday as they marked one month until the opening ceremony.
Tokyo 2020 president Seiko Hashimoto warned festivities “will have to be suppressed” to keep the Games safe, and conceded that organizers will need to be “creative” to stoke a party atmosphere.
Games’ chiefs decided on Monday to allow up to 10,000 spectators into competition venues, but Hashimoto warned them not to expect the kind of festival mood currently being enjoyed by football fans at Euro 2020.
“In Europe, the venues are filled with celebration,” she said.
“Unfortunately, we may not be able to do the same.”
Fans are forbidden from cheering or “making direct contact with other spectators” and will be asked to go straight home after events end.
Asking athletes for autographs or “expressing verbal support” is also a no-no, as is waving a towel or “any form of cheering that could create a crowd”.
“The festive mood will have to be suppressed — that has become a major challenge,” Hashimoto told reporters.
“People can feel joy in their hearts, but they can’t be loud and they have to avoid crowds,” she added.
“Those are the areas where we need to be creative, and we are putting in a lot of effort to come up with a new way of celebrating.”
Spectators will also have to do without alcohol, even though it is allowed at other sporting events currently being held in Japan.
Hashimoto said the ban was decided “to alleviate the concerns of the public as much as possible.”
