All fans will be barred from the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics in Japan due to COVID-19 pandemic, just as they were from the just-ended Tokyo Olympics, organisers said on Monday.
Team Nigeria captained by reigning world powerlifting champion, Lucy Ejike, will be participating at the Games with 22 athletes to feature in para-athletics, powerlifting, table tennis and power rowing.
At the just-ended Tokyo Olympics, there were a few exceptions made during the Games, with some fans allowed in outlying areas. This time, all fans will be barred except the possibility of some children attending a few unspecified events.
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Organisers have also asked the public not to come out to view road events.
The decision was announced after a meeting with International Paralympic Committee president Andrew Parsons; organising committee president, Seiko Hashimoto; Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike and the Olympic Minister Tamayo Marukawa.
The Paralympics will be held from August 24 to September 5 with about 4,400 athletes, a far smaller event than the Olympics with 11,000 athletes. But the Paralympics come as new infections have accelerated in Tokyo, which may expose an athlete population that is more vulnerable to COVID-19.
