Report: IOC rules out closed door Olympics

The 2020 Olympic games will not be staged behind closed doors, claims a new report from The Guardian.

The International Olympic Committee has, according to the paper’s sources, ruled out staging the games with no fans as it would be “anathema to the philosophy” of the event.

Despite ongoing pressures to cancel the event – such as the postponement of professional football in England – the IOC has maintained that the games will go ahead as planned in July.

One source was reported as saying that the games going ahead behind closed doors would “against everything we stand for,” while another reportedly said: “an event with closed doors and no spectators is not an option.”

The report adds that while the committee is set to meet today (Tuesday, March 17), a postponement is not scheduled to be discussed. The IOC believes that there is no reason to make a ‘quick decision’ with the opening ceremony more than four months away.

It has been reported that the Olympics has cost the Japanese government at least US$12 billion. The country’s prime minister Shinzo Abe said that staging the games would represent “a world victory” over the pandemic. However, 69% of Japanese citizens said that they do not think Tokyo will be able to host the event in a poll from the Kyodo news agency.