Olympics: 500 foreign volunteers may be admitted for Tokyo Games

Around 500 foreign volunteers may be allowed into Japan under special entry rules to assist with the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games this summer, Kyodo news reported on Monday.

The organizers for the Games have ruled out accepting volunteers from abroad, in principle, as a precaution to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus, but could make an exception for roughly 500 people with specialized skills necessary for running the games.

Before the pandemic forced the one-year postponement of the Games, according to the organizers, foreign nationals made up roughly 10% of a total 80,000 volunteers.

However, the ongoing pandemic saw organizers have to adjust that initial plan and cut down the number of foreign volunteers admitted for the Games to include only those whose roles cannot easily be performed by local residents in Japan, such as experts in certain languages.

According to Kyodo News, the Japanese government will consider ways to permit the entry of the specialist volunteers from overseas. Japanese citizens living outside Japan are expected to be allowed to volunteer.

Tokyo 2020 organizers have yet to make an official announcement in regards to the matter.

The organizing bodies of the Olympics and Paralympics formally decided on Saturday that the Games will be staged without overseas spectators due to the pandemic.

It's official: No overseas spectators allowed in Tokyo Olympics

(Cover image: A man walks past logos of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games banners in Tokyo, Japan, March 20, 2021. /CFP)