IOC President and IOC member Spyros Kapralos said of the decision to hold the Tokyo Olympics without spectators:
"It is a decision that saddens us but where things have reached we could not avoid it, since Tokyo was declared a state of emergency due to the pandemic. It is a fact that the festive atmosphere of the games is lost but on the other hand we must be satisfied that the Olympic Games will be held and so the dream will not be lost for the athletes who have been preparing hard for the Olympics for five years. These are the big players and we must observe all measures for their safety and for the safety of the people of Japan. With the help of television broadcasts, all the inhabitants of the planet will experience the pulse of the Olympic Games, without risking the health of participants and spectators."