Fans to be banned from the stands is the latest unwelcome news dropped on the Tokyo Summer Olympics

Fans will be banned from the stands might seem catchy, but it’s not funny to a Japanese nation that has worked tons of extra time to piece together the upcoming Summer Olympics.

There is no way this remarkable, skilled country can take any of the blame for the coronavirus pandemic that has brought grief to it and other lands that had envisioned a state-of-the-art event that comes around every four years.

As of now the Tokyo-area stadiums and arenas remain the sites, but it’s still questionable as to if and what hotels would be accessible, and that might be up to the many hotels in that vast area.

Meanwhile, fans will be banned from the stands, that’s for sure after the city’s governor met with organizers of the event who have had to contend with this pandemic that has struck the globe.

This means these Olympics will be largely a television-only event after the Japanese government put the capital city under a COVID-19 state of emergency because of rising new infections and the highly contagious delta variant.

The state of emergency begins July 12thand runs through August 22nd. The Olympics, which will start July 23rd and run through August 8th, fall entirely under the emergency period, while the Paralympics open August 24th.

Taking into consideration the impact of the delta strain, and in order to prevent the resurgence of infections from spreading across the country, Japan needs to step up virus prevention measures.

In principle, the opening of the ceremony on July 23rd at the sparkling new $1.4 billion National Stadium will be without paying fans, although some dignitaries, sponsors, IOC officials and others will be allowed to attend.

It was a serious blow for Japanese taxpayers and local organizers of the games, which already had been postponed from 2020 by the coronavirus. Hundreds of millions of dollars in ticket revenue will be lost, and that must be made up by the government.

Fans have also endured months of uncertainly about whether the Olympics will go ahead. As scheduled to begin in two weeks, the games are certain to go on. Despite the lack of workers who have tested positive, and families that have badly wanted to show off all the work done for this prestigious event.

The shame is that Japan has had plenty of time to prepare this, but it became a tougher go when the pandemic became a threat. Knowing how advanced this Asian nation is, there wasn’t any doubt about the beauty and art and features of this finished product.

The declaration was made by Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, and the spectator ban was agreed to by Japanese Olympic organizers, the International Olympic Committee, the International Paralympic Committee, and the metropolitan government of Tokyo.

“Many people were looking forward to watching the games at venues, but I would like everyone to fully enjoy watching the games on TV at home,” said Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike, “and it’s gut-wrenching, it’s sad, it’s something we hoped didn’t happen, but what’s done is done, and nobody’s happy about it.”

None of the athletes have yet to respond to this latest update that has wrecked more havoc on this event. But it’s not exactly new news. Fans from aboard were banned months ago, and the new measures will mean no spectators in stadiums and arenas around Tokyo — both indoor and outdoor venues.

Just to break it down, the ban covers Tokyo and three surrounding prefectures — Kanagawa, Saltama, and Chiba. A smattering of events in outlaying areas, like baseball in the northeastern prefecture of Fukushima, will allow a limited number of fans.

Taking into consideration the impact of the delta strain, and in order to prevent the resurgence of infections from spreading across the country, Japan needs to step up virus prevention measures.

In principle, the July 23rd opening ceremonies at the sparkling-new $1.4 billion National Stadium will be without paying fans, although some dignitaries, sponsors, IOC officials and others will be allowed to attend. But having no actual fans had to become a very difficult decisions.

Hashimoto acknowledged some regrets, particularly about the decision coming so late. But, in turn, they had no choice but to arrive at the no-spectator decision, with officials adding that it was postponed and postponed, one after another, and it took some soul-searching to come to a conclusion.

Worse, organizers had expected to generate $800 million in ticket sales, and any shortfall, which could be the entire amount, will have to be made up by Japanese government entitles.

Japan is officially spending $15.4 billion on the Olympics, and several government officials say it’s much larger. Two weeks ago, organizers and the IOC allowed venues to be filled to 50 percent of capacity, with crowds not to exceed 10,000. Then the state of emergency forced the late turnaround that was always an option if infections got worse.

The main focus of the emergency is a request for bars, restaurants and karaoke parlors serving alcohol to close. This covers Olympics-related festivities and keep people from drinking and partying. Tokyo residents are expected to face requests to stay home and watch the games on TV.

That’s the latest on the troubled Olympics, but there’s no way to blame Japan when the sad, but true coronavirus pandemic is to fault. What’s best is to wish the country all the best for what it’s done working overtime to put this together.