Tokyo Olympic Games makes major change

The Tokyo Olympic Games will ban all overseas spectators from attending, due to risks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Having delayed the Games by 12 months, organisers have now been forced to stop international fans from travelling to Tokyo.

It's a headache for those in charge, given up to 20 percent of the nearly eight million tickets would have been sold to overseas fans. They'll now need to be refunded.

"In many ways the Tokyo 2020 Games will be completely different to any previous Games," said Tokyo 2020 President Hashimoto Seiko.

"However, the essential of the Games will remain unchanged, as athletes give their utmost and inspire the world with transcendent performances.

"We are currently working on specific plans to share support remotely from around the world and help bring people together in ways suited to our current times.

"Even if you are no longer able to come to Japan this summer, we hope very much that you will continue to support the Tokyo 2020 Games."

According to a statement released by Games organisers, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) were informed at a meeting that Japanese authorities, including the Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG), the Organising Committee Tokyo 2020 and the Government of Japan, had concluded that overseas spectators would be banned.

According to data from Johns Hopkins University, Japan has recorded 455,000 cases of COVID-19, with around 1500 new cases reported daily. The country has recorded nearly 9000 deaths.

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