Japan's Olympics organizers ban alcohol at Games after criticism

24-Jun-2021 - Japan

Japan's Olympic organizers have scrapped plans to allow alcohol in arenas during the Summer Games after criticism. Alcohol will be banned, organizers announced Wednesday. According to Japanese media reports, organizers had been considering allowing spectators to drink alcohol inside competition venues after pressure from brewing group Asahi, a major sponsor of the games. Asahi has now accepted the ban, Olympic organizing chief Seiko Hashimoto said a month before the Games are scheduled to open on July 23. Fans are also explicitly not allowed to bring their own alcohol into the arenas.

The original plans had met with criticism. Citizens in Tokyo are still subject to restrictions on the consumption of alcohol even after the Corona emergency was lifted at the beginning of the week. They are allowed to drink with no more than one other person in restaurants or bars, and only until 7 p.m. "Are the Olympics an exception after restaurant operators have been burdened with anti-infection measures for so long?", Haruo Ozaki of the Tokyo Medical Association had been quoted as saying recently. He had urged organizers not to allow alcohol at the Olympics.

Strict rules also apply to athletes in the Olympic Village.

They will only be allowed to drink alcohol privately in their rooms. They will also not be given the condoms traditionally used at the Olympics during the Games, but only when they leave Japan. The primary concern is that the Games are safe, and that is the responsibility, Hashimoto said. To that end, strict rules of conduct and hygiene will be in place at the Games, the likes of which have never been seen at an Olympic tournament before.

Still, there is great concern among the public and experts that the virus, with its variants like Delta, could spread. Nevertheless, Japan's Olympic officials have allowed up to 10,000 local spectators at all summer competitions.

But a maximum of only half the seats in the arenas may be filled. The decision, backed by the IOC, is conditional, however. If the infection situation worsens and a state of emergency has to be declared again, spectators could still be barred. Foreign fans will be denied entry./ln/DP/mis (dpa)

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https://www.yumda.com/en/news/1171643/japan-s-olympics-organizers-ban-alcohol-at-games-after-criticism.html