Last year, a Japanese amusement park asked roller coaster riders to "scream inside your heart." At this year's Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, spectators—if any are allowed—may have to do the same. Organizers released a playbook Wednesday with rules explaining how the games can be safely held during the pandemic, reports Reuters. Spectators will be asked to clap instead of singing or chanting, and athletes will be required to wear masks "at all times" except for when eating, drinking, or outside and at least 6 feet away from others. Athletes will be asked to avoid "unnecessary forms of physical contact" including hugs, high-fives, and handshakes, and they won't be allowed to visit venues as spectators, NBC reports. Athletes will also be banned from visiting bars, restaurants, and tourist areas.
The playbook also sets out quarantine, hygiene, and COVID testing regulations for the 15,400 athletes expected to enter the country for the games, which are scheduled to begin July 23. The International Olympic Committee and the Japanese government say vaccines will not be mandatory. The games were postponed last year because of the pandemic, and organizers have pushed back against rumors they will be canceled this year. They say the playbook released Wednesday is a "framework" and more regulations will be released in the months to come. "There are indeed a lot of questions in the public domain about how the games will take place this summer. And today is a preliminary review of how things will be done," Olympic Games executive director Christophe Dubi said Wednesday, per the AP. (More 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games stories.)
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