Olympic flame arrives in Tokyo after 'heartbreaking' fan ban

Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike holds the Olympic flame at the Komazawa Olympic Park General Sports Ground on the first day of the torch relay in Tokyo

The Olympic flame arrived in Tokyo on Friday with just two weeks until the Games open, as athletes and fans mourned a "heartbreaking" decision to bar spectators from almost all venues over the virus.

In a taste of what is to come for thousands of athletes who will compete at the pandemic-postponed Games, the public was kept away from the arrival of the flame and a welcoming ceremony was attended only by the media and officials.

Tokyo will be under a virus state of emergency from Sunday until August 22, putting a further dampener on an already unusual Olympics.

Given the decision, organisers said Thursday they would bar spectators from venues in Tokyo and three surrounding areas, where most competition will happen. A handful of events will be held elsewhere in the country with some fans in attendance.

"The thought of playing in front of empty stadiums just doesn't sit right with me. It never has," he said on social media, announcing his withdrawal.

In Tokyo, Governor Yuriko Koike received the Olympic flame in a lantern at a ceremony in an empty stadium.

Despite the disruptions, Koike said the flame's passage offered "hope" that she said torchbearers would "carry into the Olympic stadium".

- 'No one is happy' -

Japan has so far recorded around 14,900 virus deaths, despite avoiding harsh lockdowns, and organisers had hoped to have up to 10,000 local fans in venues after being forced to bar overseas spectators.

The financial impact of the decision is comparatively small, with projected revenues for all Olympic and Paralympic tickets accounting for just around $800 million compared to an approximately $15-billion Tokyo 2020 budget.

The move left a sour taste for Natsuko Kamioka, who had tickets to take her son to the men's volleyball quarter-finals.

Olympic "superfan" Kyoko Ishikawa, who has attended every Summer Games in the past three decades, was more sanguine.

"Now, what I have to do is ask how I can still create an opportunity to connect people around the world through the Olympic Games."

"They are taking away part of the joy of sport," he told a press conference. "But we should not forget why we play sports."

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Originally published as Olympic flame arrives in Tokyo after 'heartbreaking' fan ban