Olympic Games participants may be deported for violation of anti-COVID measures

Athletes who compete in the Tokyo Summer Olympics may be deported from Japan in the event of gross violations of restrictive measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus, as stated in the updated set of rules for athletes, published by the organizers of the Olympic Games on Tuesday. Report informs citing TASS that, according to the rules, fines, suspension from participation in competitions, and even forced deportation are provided as punishment for non-compliance with anti-COVID restrictive measures. Violations include, among other things, refusal to wear a mask, maintain social distance, visit places not previously approved for visiting by the organizers, and refusal to undergo a medical examination.

Updated rules for journalists intending to cover the Olympic Games and for members of delegations and national team staff will also be published in the coming days.

The Tokyo Olympics were supposed to take place from July 24 to August 9, 2020. Due to the pandemic, the competitions were postponed for a year and will now occur from July 23 to August 8, 2021. On March 20, the organizers finally decided to hold the Games without foreign fans. A decision on the admission of Japanese viewers is to be made in June, depending on the situation with the spread of the coronavirus in the country.