TOKYO: The Olympic flame arrived in Tokyo on Friday with just two weeks until the Games open, as athletes and fans mourned a "heartbreaking" decision to bar spectators from almost all venues over the virus.
In a taste of what is to come for thousands of athletes who will compete at the pandemic-postponed Games, the public was kept away from the arrival of the flame and a welcoming ceremony was attended only by the media and officials.
As the final countdown to the July 23 opening ceremony begins, the mood is far from the usual festive Olympic spirit.
Tokyo will be under a virus state of emergency from Sunday until August 22, putting a further dampener on an already unusual Olympics.
The measures, which mostly limit alcohol sales, restaurant opening hours and crowd sizes, come as infections rise in the capital and with authorities concerned about the spread of the Delta variant.
Given the decision, organisers said Thursday they would bar spectators from venues in Tokyo and three surrounding areas, where most competition will happen. A handful of events will be held elsewhere in the country with some fans in attendance.
The move disappointed fans and athletes alike, with Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios saying it tipped the scale as he wavered on whether to compete.
"The thought of playing in front of empty stadiums just doesn't sit right with me. It never has," he said on social media, announcing his withdrawal.
But others said they were grateful for the chance to take part, with US swimmer Katie Ledecky saying the Games would still be "a really beautiful thing".
In Tokyo, Governor Yuriko Koike received the Olympic flame in a lantern at a ceremony in an empty stadium.
The nationwide torch relay was supposed to stoke excitement about the Games, but almost half the legs have been taken off public roads or otherwise altered because of virus concerns.
Despite the disruptions, Koike said the flame's passage offered "hope" that she said torchbearers would "carry into the Olympic stadium".
When the cauldron is lit on July 23, only dignitaries and officials will be in the stands at the 68,000-capacity National Stadium in central Tokyo.
- 'No one is happy' -
On Thursday night, Koike told reporters she felt "heartbreaking grief" about the decision to bar fans, but organisers said they had no choice given the rise in infections and new emergency measures.
Japan has so far recorded around 14,900 virus deaths, despite avoiding harsh lockdowns, and organisers had hoped to have up to 10,000 local fans in venues after being forced to bar overseas spectators.
The spread of the more contagious Delta variant, paired with a comparatively low vaccination rate -- just 16 percent of the population is fully vaccinated -- put paid to those plans.
The financial impact of the decision is comparatively small, with projected revenues for all Olympic and Paralympic tickets accounting for just around $800 million compared to an approximately $15-billion Tokyo 2020 budget.
A decision on Paralympic spectators will be taken after the Olympics end.
The move left a sour taste for Natsuko Kamioka, who had tickets to take her son to the men's volleyball quarter-finals.
"They've avoided cancelling the Games but they haven't been left with a good outcome. No one is happy," she told AFP.
Olympic "superfan" Kyoko Ishikawa, who has attended every Summer Games in the past three decades, was more sanguine.
"It's not getting me down," said Ishikawa, who has become a familiar face at Olympic venues over the years in her traditional Japanese outfit and 'hachimaki' headband.
"Now, what I have to do is ask how I can still create an opportunity to connect people around the world through the Olympic Games."
And French decathlete Kevin Mayer, who won silver in Rio 2016, said the roar of crowds was only one aspect of competition.
"They are taking away part of the joy of sport," he told a press conference. "But we should not forget why we play sports."
"I'm being given the opportunity to express myself in a way not given to everyone, in the biggest competition that exists."
Resignation, anger as Japan digests Tokyo Olympic fan ban
Olympic fans in Japan reacted with weary resignation to a ban on Tokyo Games spectators on Friday, as newspaper editorials warned it may not be enough to stop the virus.
Kyoko Ishikawa, who has attended every Summer Games over the past 30 years, told AFP she "already expected" the decision to ban fans from most Olympic events, which was announced late Thursday.
But she said she still hopes to have "an opportunity to connect people" through online events.
"We already expected it, so it's not really surprising and it's not getting me down," said Ishikawa, who has become a familiar face at Olympic venues over the years in her traditional Japanese outfit and 'hachimaki' headband.
"Now, what I have to do is ask how I can still create an opportunity to connect people around the world through the Olympic Games."
Ishikawa said she still hopes to attend the Paralympics -- set to begin on August 24. Organisers will decide attendance limits for that after the Olympics ends.
"You can't change the situation. What you can do is just leverage what you have to be the best, to maximise the things that you can do," she said.
With infections rising in the capital, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announced Thursday that Tokyo would be under a virus state of emergency from July 12 until August 22.
The measure is significantly looser than lockdowns seen elsewhere, largely limiting alcohol sales, shortening opening hours for restaurants and capping event attendance at 5,000 people.
But it signals a growing concern about the current rate of infections and appears to have piled pressure on Olympic organisers, who had previously hoped to have up to 10,000 local fans in venues after barring overseas spectators.
The Nikkei Shimbun newspaper said in an editorial Friday that banning fans from the Games alone would not stop the spread of the virus.
"Even with no spectators, there are concerns that infections could spread, with tens of thousands of Olympic-related visitors -- not including athletes -- coming to Japan," the paper said.
"It is necessary to test thoroughly and control their activities."
The Asahi Shimbun newspaper, an official Games sponsor that ran an editorial calling for it to be cancelled in May, accused the government of trying to "ram through" the event.
"School sports days and local festivals have been cancelled or postponed, and doubts and frustrations over the special treatment of the Olympics could affect efforts to prevent infections," it said.
- 'No one is happy' -
The decision to ban fans came just over two weeks before the opening ceremony and some ticket-holders expressed frustration at the last-minute move.
"I think they wanted to leave it as late as possible, but in that case they should have put stricter measures in place earlier," said Natsuko Kamioka, who had tickets to take her son to watch the men's volleyball quarter-finals.
"They've avoided cancelling the Games but they haven't been left with a good outcome. No one is happy."
There was also anger from some Japanese social media users, with the phrase "no-spectator Olympics" trending on Twitter.
"There was no need to rebuild the National Stadium," wrote one user, referring to the Kengo Kuma-designed main Olympic venue, which was built to the tune of an estimated $1.4 billion.
"An Olympics with no spectators means it has become an Olympics for aristocrats, as only Olympic aristocrats will get to watch the Games," wrote another.