Tokyo Olympics 2020 Latest Updates: As 'Games like no other' appear on horizon, a daily look at noteworthy developments

Olympics might have no fans: Games chief

In a big development, Tokyo 2020 chief has said the games might have to go ahead without fans in order to protect the athletes and the general population. "There might be a situation where we can't allow any spectators to attend," Tokyo 2020 president Seiko Hashimoto conceded in an interview. "The only way that we can call the Games a success is if we completely protect the lives and health of athletes and the people of Japan."

100 days to go: What has happened since the Games were awarded to Tokyo?

The Tokyo Olympics are now exactly 100 days to go. What started as reason to celebrate, collective joy in Tokyo when the Games were awarded to sexism scandal, postponement for the first-time ever and ban on overseas fans. Amidst all this, people's joy has paved way for concern.

Diving World Cup moved out of Tokyo

FINA is moving its Diving World Cup, which was to serve as an Olympic test event later this month, from Tokyo. The global body said it had not yet decided where the competition, which is also an Olympic qualifying event, would be held.

The Diving World Cup was originally scheduled to take place in April 2020 but had been postponed for a year due to the coronavirus pandemic, as had the Olympics.

No torch relay on Osaka’s public roads

The Olympic torch relay will not be run on public roads in Osaka city given rising virus cases, the Japanese region's governor said Friday, but a cancellation has not yet been decided. His comments came a day after he and the city's mayor called for the torch relay leg to be cancelled given a recent spike in COVID-19 infections in the region.

Will overseas fans get ticket refunds?

Partially, yes. And it is going to be a lot of wait it appears. Tickets bought through brokers, called Authorised Ticket Resellers, will only see refunds to the tune of the face value and shipping costs. Any additional charges will not be refunded. Additionally, one has to apply in advance, on very short notice, by 9 April, to get their refunds in the future.

Is the torch relay a big deal?

Normally? No. But these are different times. These are COVID-19 times. The relay will highlight how ready or not ready Tokyo is to host the Olympics in four months time. Social distancing, mask-wearing and limited crowds are the rules in place. It is a big deal for the organisers and IOC in order to change public opinion on the Olympics.

Will there be spectators for the torch relay?

No. Organisers announced there will be no spectators to follow along the route to the Tokyo Olympics torch relay. The heavily sponsored relay, however, will be available to stream. "The Grand Start ceremony and the first section of the Fukushima Torch Relay... will not be open to the public, but it will be broadcast live via a Tokyo 2020 official channel," Tokyo 2020 said in a statement.

Will international spectators be allowed at the Olympics?

It looks increasingly unlikely that foreign spectators will be allowed at the Tokyo Olympics. Local media quoted government officials as saying that the Summer Games would go ahead but without the influx of international visitors - a step that will impact the Games' and Japan's economic projections. A formal announcement on this regard could be made next week.

Over three-quarters of Japanese don't want foreign fans at Tokyo Games, says survey

More than 75 percent of Japanese oppose overseas fans attending the Tokyo Olympics, a poll showed Monday, as organisers prepare to make a decision on foreign spectators.

The poll, by the Yomiuri Shimbun daily, found that only 18 percent of people who responded were in favour of foreign spectators being allowed into Japan for the coronavirus -delayed Games, with 77 percent against.

Games organisers said last week that they plan to rule on the matter this month, likely before the nationwide torch relay begins on 25 March.

But Japanese media say Games chiefs have already decided to bar foreign fans.

Japan extended the coronavirus emergency for two more weeks for Tokyo area. What does that mean?

Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announced on Friday that his government is extending a state of emergency in the Tokyo region for another two weeks because its medical systems are still strained by COVID-19 patients. 

The state of emergency, which is a non-binding request, centers around asking restaurants, bars and other businesses to voluntarily close at 8 pm. Japan has never had a mandatory lockdown, but has managed to keep infections relatively low with social distancing and such voluntary measures.

Suga declared a monthlong emergency on 7 January for Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama and Chiba that was later extended through 7 March. An emergency that applied to other urban prefectures was lifted last week, underscoring the government’s eagerness to allow businesses to return to normal as soon as possible.

Suga sought understanding for a two-week extension he said will be the last.

Will Japan allow foreign fans at Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics?

Tokyo Olympics organisers will decide this month whether to allow overseas fans, the Games president said on Wednesday, while the number of spectators allowed in venues will be set by April.

Tokyo 2020 chief Seiko Hashimoto told reporters that the safety of Japanese citizens "is the priority", after holding talks with top officials from the International Olympic and Paralympic Committees, the Japanese government and the Tokyo metropolitan government.

12 women appointed into Tokyo 2020 executive board

The Tokyo Olympics made a symbolic gesture toward gender equality on Tuesday by appointing 12 women to the body’s executive board. The board will now have 19 women among its 45 members, or 42 percent.

To accommodate the new women, the size of the board was increased from 35 to 45. Several resignations on Tuesday also created more space.

USA begin men's basketball campaign against France

Chasing a fourth straight gold medal and 16th overall, the USA men's basketball team begin their Tokyo 2020 campaign against France at the Saitama Stadium — north of the Japanese capital — on 25 July, three days after the conclusion of the NBA Finals.

The American women's team, on the other hand, begin their quest for a seventh consecutive gold, and ninth overall, against Nigeria on 27 July. The women's competition is slated to start a day earlier with South Korea taking on Spain.

Will foreign spectators be allowed?

IOC chief Thomas Bach expects a decision only by May. "The ticketing programme has to be organised, the logistics have to be taken into consideration," said Bach. "It's about immigration rules and so on, so I would say, maybe April, early May, we would have to take this decision."

Meanwhile, IOC sports director Christophe Dubi said there may be two separate decisions over the attendance of foreign fans and Japanese supporters.

Is Olympic torch relay happening?

Yes, it is. 

Despite persistent concerns about the safety of holding the Games this summer, organisers say the massive event can go ahead and the torch relay will kick off as planned on 25 March.

Spectators will be allowed to line the route when the Olympic flame begins its delayed relay across Japan next month, organisers said on 25 February, but cheering will be strictly banned.

The torch relay was scrapped just days before it was due to kick off last year when Japanese and Olympic officials took the unprecedented decision to postpone Tokyo 2020 over the coronavirus pandemic.

Will Indian athletes be vaccinated before they fly out for Tokyo?

Yes! India's sports minister Kiren Rijuju has said earlier this month that all Indian athletes who will compete at Tokyo 2020 will be vaccinated before leaving the country. 

On the same day, sports secretary Ravi Mittal said that athletes headed to Tokyo will receive vaccination before the Games. “They will all be vaccinated before they go for the Olympics, whoever goes. We will also take into account the time between two doses and everything else,” said Mittal.

Will athletes travelling to Tokyo for the Olympics/Paralympics be required to be vaccinated?

No! IOC President Thomas Bach has said that it will not be mandatory for athletes travelling to Tokyo for the Games to be vaccinated. In fact, none of the scenarios the IOC and Tokyo 2020 organisers have considered in planning for the deferred Games involve vaccines being widely available. 

Bach has also spoken out against athletes jumping to the head of the queue for vaccines. He has said that IOC was of the opinion that the first priority for vaccines should be doctors and medical professionals, high-risk groups, ‘people in need’, and those ‘keeping our societies alive’. 

Welcome to our liveblog in the build-up to the Tokyo Olympics. 150 days are all that remain before the deferred Tokyo Olympics will begin with a muted Opening Ceremony in the capital of Japan. 

These Olympics promise to be unlike any other. Tokyo 2020 was postponed by a year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Even after several vaccines have arrived on the horizon, the shadow of the virus will loom over the Games. 

This liveblog will help you keep track of the latest development as an unprecedented Games appear on the horizon.