Olympic flame arrives in Tokyo following ban on spectators

Low-key ceremony in capital on Friday as health concerns persist

Lighting ceremony of the Olympic flame at Machida Shibahiro, on the first day of the torch relay in Tokyo on Friday, July 9, 2021.

Japanese actor Takayuki Yamada during the Olympic torch ceremony in Tokyo.

Visitors watch the lighting ceremony of the Olympic flame at Machida Shibahiro.

Former Japanese professional tennis player Shuzo Matsuoka receives the Olympics flame to his Olympic torch during the lighting ceremony of the Olympic flame at Machida Shibahiro, on the first day of the torch relay in Tokyo on July 9, 2021. (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP)

Tokyo 2020 staff members transfer the flame from the Olympic lantern.

Shinichi Okada during the Olympic torch relay in Tokyo.

Former Japanese tennis player Shuzo Matsuoka at the Olympic torch relay.

A visitor poses with a banner during the Olympic torch relay.

A demonstrator protests against the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Police officers stand guard at empty seats of the grandstand during the Olympic torch relay.

The mood in Tokyo was sombre as the Olympic flame arrived Japan's capital following announcement that spectators would be banned from most Games events.

On a rainy Friday two weeks before the opening ceremony, the flame was brought on stage in a lantern and handed to Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike.

Tokyo 2020 organisers announced on Thursday their decision to bar fans from Olympic events in the capital, which will be under a virus emergency throughout the event.

It means the Tokyo Games will be the first to take place largely behind closed doors, with a handful of events taking place outside the capital.

The torch relay began in March. However, a rise in infections forced the Tokyo city government to pull the Olympic torch relay off the streets, allowing it only on remote islands off the capital’s coast.

The Olympics are pushing ahead against most medical advice, partially because the postponement stalled the IOC’s income flow. It gets almost 75 per cent from selling broadcast rights, and estimates suggest it would lose $3-4 billion if the Olympics were canceled altogether.

About 11,000 Olympians and 4,400 Paralympians are expected to enter Japan, along with tens of thousands of officials, judges, administrators, sponsors, broadcasters and media.

Nationwide, Japan has had about 810,000 cases and nearly 14,900 deaths. Only 15 per cent of Japan's population is fully vaccinated, still low compared with nearly 50 per cent in US and Britain.