Tokyo Olympic Games not to be staged behind closed doors: IOC

The International Olympic Committee has ruled out staging the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games behind closed doors.

People in a small boat view the Olympic rings in the Odaiba section of Tokyo.

The International Olympic Committee has ruled out hosting the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games behind closed doors.

According to a report in The Guardian , it is learnt that IOC is not willing to stage the Games in empty stadiums as that goes against the basic principles of the Olympics.

John Coates, the leader of the IOC’s coordination commission for the Tokyo Olympics said there is no May deadline to cancel the games and he remains confident the event will go ahead despite sports coming to a standstill globally amid the coronavirus outbreak.

However, the IOC made it clear that it is not staging the quadrennial event behind closed doors.

“It would go against everything we stand for. The Olympics is more than just a series of competitions, it is about bringing everyone together to celebrate sport,” a source told The Guardian .

“An event with closed doors and no spectators is not an option,” another source said.

If the Games are not held then it would have serious ramifications as it is estimated that the organisers would suffer $1billion loss in ticket sales.

There are further reports stating that the IOC is willing to relax the qualification standards to allow more number of athletes to compete in the Games.

Although a few qualifying events have taken place, events likes climbing, boxing, fencing and judo have been cancelled or postponed.