IOC expects only 6,000 athletes at Olympic opening ceremony

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) expects only 6,000 athletes to participate in the opening ceremony at the Tokyo Summer Games, more than half of initial estimates, as organizers implement measures to guard against coronavirus infections.

The IOC plans to scale back the ceremony because athletes will not be allowed to arrive at the Olympic Village, which can accommodate 18,000 people, more than 5 days before they compete and must depart within two days after their event finishes, the paper Yomiuri reported citing unidentified sources.

Around 11,000 athletes from 200 countries had initially been expected at the opening ceremony, Yomiuri said.

The latest surge in coronavirus infections in Japan and elsewhere has cast fresh doubts over the future of the Tokyo Olympics, which was delayed from last year.

Any cancelation, or scaled back event could impose a financial burden on the IOC because it relies on income from selling television rights for the major sporting event. – Rappler.com