Tokyo Olympics to go ahead without spectators as COVID cases surge
Remember how excited everyone was for the 2020 games? I, personally, was hyped for CES + Sports and the formal start of the Future™. And it seemed everyone was talking about what a techno-spectacle it'd be, with robot villages, artificial meteor showers, flying cars, superfast trains, and more. It was supposed to be the Neo-Tokyo Cyberlympics 2020.This summer's Tokyo Olympics will go ahead without spectators after a surge in coronavirus cases, organisers have announced.
The widely expected move was made following talks between the government, Tokyo organisers and Olympic and Paralympic representatives.
Japan has now declared a coronavirus state of emergency for the capital that will run throughout the event.
Overseas fans had already been barred from attending the Games.
Public viewings of the Games have been cancelled and restaurants will be asked to stop serving alcohol under the state of emergency.
Seiko Hashimoto, president of this year's Games, said the situation was "regrettable" and apologised to those who had bought tickets.
And then it all fell apart and Japan's been embarrassingly trying to pretend that no, no, everything's fine, the show must go on.