Officials handling the Tokyo Olympic games this summer have released a number of Covid-19 rules mandatory for all participants.
Top on the list is the ban on singing and chanting during events.
Participants are also required to wear masks at all times except when eating, sleeping or outdoors.
The measures also included rules barring international federation officials and staff from using public transport without permission
Nearly 80 percent of Japanese are opposed to hosting the games during a global pandemic, for the fear that athletes would further spread the virus but officials allayed public fears as they reiterated that they would be able to hold the postponed events safely this year.
Director of Olympic Games Operations at the International Olympic Committee (ICC).Pierre Ducrey said”participants will have to respect and follow a number of constraints and conditions “which will have an impact on their experience particularly when it comes to the social aspect of what the Olympics experience can be”
The new rules captured in a” playbook'” jointly published by the Tokyo Olympic Organisers, the IOC, and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) range from regular hand- washing protocols to disinfecting dining tables after eating.
Delegates and staff will also be required to appoint a Covid-19 liaison officer,who will be responsible for ensuring that the participants follow the guidelines.
According to the playbook,failure to comply with the rules could lead to expulsion from the games
Officials said the rules unveiled on Wednesday were for delegates of International federations competing in the games adding that they would pubish updated guidelines in April
The Tokyo Olympics which was delayed by a year due to the coronavirus pandemic in 2020,is scheduled to begin in July.
