BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP via Getty Images
- In an about turn, Tokyo Olympics organizers say alcohol will be banned at all venues.
- It follows a public outcry after reports said organizers were contemplating allowing alcohol at the Games.
- Spectators will be capped at 10,000 but experts say allowing zero spectators is still the "least risky" option.
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Abstinence is shaping up to be the name of the game at this year's summer Olympics, as organizers announced Wednesday the sale of alcohol would be banned at all venues.
This comes following a public outcry earlier this week after media reports said organizers were mulling allowing alcohol consumption at the Games.
"Following experts' advice, the organizing committee decided against selling and drinking alcoholic drinks at the venues so as to prevent the spread of infections," Tokyo Olympics President Seiko Hashimoto said at a news conference, adding that Games sponsor Asahi Breweries was on board with the decision.
Though there are only 30 days to go before the Games begin, uncertainty about how the two-week event will go off remains.
While organizers maintain the scaled-down games will be safe, others have cast doubt after Japan saw a spike in COVID-19 cases in May. Tokyo only exited its state of emergency last Sunday.
To keep the games safe, organizers said Monday that it was capping domestic spectators at 10,000, and foreign visitors would be banned. Japanese health experts, however, have said banning spectators all together is the "least risky" option.
Olympics organizers appear to be quashing vice of all kinds. In early June, the International Olympic Committee suggested that the 160,000 free condoms organizers procured for athletes staying in the Olympic Village should be used "at home" and not during their stay in Japan.
