No alcohol, no hugs, no cheers, and no autographs: Tokyo
Olympic organisers unveiled tough new rules for spectators at the pandemic
Games on Wednesday, as they marked one month until the opening ceremony.

Tokyo 2020 president Seiko Hashimoto warned festivities
“will have to be suppressed” to keep the Games safe, and conceded that
organisers will need to be “creative” to stoke a party atmosphere.

Also read: Stephen Curry to not represent Team USA in the Tokyo Olympics: Reports

Game chiefs decided on Monday to allow up to 10,000
spectators into competition venues, but Hashimoto warned them not to expect the
kind of festival mood currently being enjoyed by football fans at Euro 2020.

“In Europe, the venues are filled with
celebration,” she said.

“Unfortunately, we may not be able to do the
same.”

Spectators will need to clear several antivirus
requirements, including temperature checks and mask-wearing, just to get into
venues — with no refunds available for those who can’t.

Also read: Japan infection expert eyes Olympics with excitement, concern

Once inside, they are forbidden from cheering or
“making direct contact with other spectators” and will be asked to go
straight home after the end of the event.

Asking athletes for autographs or “expressing verbal
support” is also a no-no, as is waving a towel or “any form of
cheering that could create a crowd”.

“The festive mood will have to be suppressed — that
has become a major challenge,” Hashimoto told reporters.

“People can feel joy in their hearts, but they can’t be
loud and they have to avoid crowds,” she added.

“Those are the areas where we need to be creative, and
we are putting in a lot of effort to come up with a new way of
celebrating.”

Also read: India protest ‘unfair’ Tokyo Olympic rules for COVID-hit nations

Spectators will also have to do without alcohol, even though
it is allowed at other sporting events currently being held in Japan.

Hashimoto said the ban was decided “to alleviate the
concerns of the public as much as possible.”

With the July 23 opening ceremony nearing, organisers are
scrambling to finalise preparations and win over a skeptical public, pledging
the Games will be safe for locals and participants.

Speaking to reporters Tuesday, former athlete Hashimoto said
a stripped-back Games was a chance to refocus attention on the “true
values” of the Olympics.

Also read: Up to 10,000 fans allowed at Tokyo Olympics events: Organisers

“In recent years when I was participating as an
athlete, there were concerns that this (event) has become so huge,” she
said.

“This time, I feel that the true values of the Olympic
and Paralympic Games are finally being discussed.”

Hashimoto rejected the suggestion that the complications of
Tokyo 2020 might put off future hosts, as Olympic officials face a dwindling
number of cities eager for the expensive undertaking.

“I see this as one opportunity to present the essence
of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and to change the format of the Games so
that other cities will be willing to hold the Games in the future,” she
said.

It may not be a line that convinces everyone, with athletes
facing tough restrictions including daily testing and a ban on travel except
between venues and the Olympic Village.

Also read: New Zealand’s Laurel Hubbard to be first transgender Olympian

Domestic opposition to the Games has softened in recent
weeks, but around half of Japan’s public still don’t want the event to open in
four weeks, polls show.

On Saturday, a Ugandan Olympic coach tested positive on
arrival in Japan, despite the team reportedly being vaccinated and testing
negative before travel.

Also read: Fever clinic and COVID kits: Tokyo 2020 shows off Olympic Village

The rest of the delegation has now been put in quarantine
until July 3.

The frantic pace of preparations may have taken its toll on
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, who has been admitted to the hospital suffering
from exhaustion.

Addressing fears of a fun-free Games, Hashimoto said hoped
the Olympics would showcase Japan’s “culture of hospitality and caring
about each other.”

“I hope such spirit of caring about each other, will
become the legacy of the Games.”