Tokyo Olympics will be held under a state of emergency as Japan mulls opening ceremony fan ban

The state of emergency — the fourth for the Japanese capital since the pandemic began — will cover the entire period of the Olympics, which are scheduled to run from July 23 to August 8.

It has raised questions over whether domestic spectators will still be allowed at the Games. Organizers had already decided to ban overseas fans from the stands in March.

CNN has reached out to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic committee for comment.

But Nishimura said Thursday that under the state of emergency, venues in Tokyo and Okinawa will be limited to 5,000 people or 50% of capacity, with no spectators allowed at events that finish later than 9 p.m.

Japanese media Asahi Shimbun and Kyodo News reported that for the Games opening ceremony, which will be held July 23 and last beyond 9 p.m., only “special guests” will be allowed. They will include members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Games’ sponsors and foreign dignitaries, the reports said.

It remains unclear if the rest of the Games will ban all spectators, or restrict the number of attendees to 5,000. An official decision is expected to be made at a meeting between the Tokyo government, the national government, the Tokyo 2020 organizers, and the IOC and International Paralympic Committee (IPC).

IOC President Thomas Bach landed in Tokyo on Thursday morning, and is observing a three-day self-isolation in his hotel.

The possible ban on spectators will not only come as a big disappointment for Japanese fans, but for some athletes as well.

Sport climber Akiyo Noguchi said she derives tremendous power from performing in front of a big crowd, and creating that motivation and energy will be harder without cheers from the bleachers.

“I feel very sad. I wanted to be in the Olympics because I wanted to show my best performance in front of my family and supporters, but this will not be in the form that I’ve been imagining,” she told CNN previously.