The Organising Committee for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games have decided to slash the total number of foreign officials by one lakh. Only 80,000 from the expected 1.80 lakh officials will be allowed for the Games to mitigate the threat of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee CEO Toshiro Muto has declared the number of visiting officials will now be reduced to 80,000-90,000.
There will, however, be no restriction on the participating athletes, to be around 15,000. The officials though may be cut short further is the Covid-19 situation worsens.
Japan is reporting from six thousand to seven thousand Covid-19 positive cases every day.
“The number of athletes has remained unchanged at about 15,000 the number of officials may be cut further, depending on the situation of infections,” Muto has told media persons.
National Olympic committees and international sports federations are being advised to reduce the number of officials of the Tokyo 2020 Games in wake of the emergent situation caused by the pandemic.
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“The (final) number may be really small if we consider (narrowing it down) to just individuals without whom the Olympics cannot take place,” Muto added.
The International Paralympic Committee too has claimed that the originally expected number of officials from various organisations has been cut short by 60 per cent, IPL president Andrew Parsons has claimed.
“Only people who have a role to play, the operational role to play will be in Tokyo (for the Paralympics),” he said.
The IPC has also cut the number of its own staff coming to the Games by more than 25 percent, Parsons said.
It has already been announced that no spectators will be allowed at the Olympics and Paralympics.
