Olympics-We all regret no fans at Tokyo Games, says IOC's Bach

The Tokyo Olympics will have a different feel with spectators banned from the venues due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach on Friday promised athletes a global digital audience of billions.

On Thursday, Tokyo Games organisers decided the July 23- Aug. 8 Olympics would take place without spectators as a resurgent coronavirus forced Japan to declare a state of emergency in the capital that will run throughout the Games."This was a really difficult one and we all regret the consequences for you the athletes but also for the spectators," Bach said from Tokyo in a video message to athletes.

Without spectators, Japan is now all but deprived of its hopes for a Games with pomp and public spectacle. The government and organisers had long seen the event as a chance to display the country's recovery from a devastating 2011 earthquake and nuclear crisis.The ban on spectators will also cost organisers hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue.

"It will be under very different circumstances but you need not to feel alone in these stadia," Bach said."Billions of people in the entire world will be glued to their screens. I hope you can feel this support."

Singapore Latest News, Singapore Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Olympics-Sports bodies disappointed but accept Tokyo decision to ban spectatorsSports federations expressed their disappointment at the decision of Olympics organisers to ban spectators from the July 23-Aug. 8 Tokyo Games but ... The Olympic-Games should be cancelled or delayed rather than no-spectators. This Tokyo Olympics will go down in history with many firsts, one would be no supporters cheering on their country sportsmen.
Source: ChannelNewsAsia - 🏆 6. / 66 Read more »

Olympics-Athletes disappointed by Tokyo fan ban but say show must go onSports bodies and athletes reacted with disappointment to the news there will be no spectators at the Tokyo Olympics but downplayed the potential ...
Source: ChannelNewsAsia - 🏆 6. / 66 Read more »

Japan to declare COVID-19 emergency for Tokyo, casting a pall over OlympicsTOKYO: Japan's government is set to declare a state of emergency for Tokyo through Aug 22 amid a new wave of infections, a key minister said on ... Still the most loose restriction in the world, far from a compulsory measure. Even with vaccines, you get bad news from a lot of pro US nations. A trend arising from same wrongness in similar society content?
Source: ChannelNewsAsia - 🏆 6. / 66 Read more »

Japan to declare Covid-19 emergency for Tokyo, casting a pall over Olympics
Source: TODAYonline - 🏆 1. / 99 Read more »

Olympics-For Tokyo 2020 ticketholders, an Olympic dream gets dashedEven as several events in the run-up to the Olympics were cancelled and the number of domestic spectators capped, Ryuichi Ishikawa had clung to ... Wonderful news
Source: ChannelNewsAsia - 🏆 6. / 66 Read more »

Olympics bans spectators after Tokyo declares Covid-19 emergency
Source: TODAYonline - 🏆 1. / 99 Read more »