Tokyo Paralympics to be held without spectators due to COVID-19 - reports

Tokyo: The Tokyo Paralympic Games will be held mostly without spectators, as Japan’s capital remains under emergency lockdown amid a surge in novel coronavirus infections, local media reported today.

Organisers agreed late on Thursday to limit spectators at the Paralympic events, set to begin on Aug. 24, similar to the Olympic Games which finished on Aug. 8 and was held mostly without spectators, the Yomiuri reported, citing Games sources.

Paralympic venues in Shizuoka, central Japan, will limit spectators to under 5,000 people, the newspaper said. Organisers are still considering inviting school children to events, it said. Japanese officials previously said they planned to make a decision after the Olympics.

The Paralympic competitions include swimming, table tennis, wheelchair fencing and basketball, with over 4,000 athletes with various impairments such as paraplegia.