KASHIMA CITY, Japan — For a few days, some Olympic soccer players have been treated to the rarest of privileges at the Tokyo Games: spectators. While fans have been barred from the vast majority of venues as one of the measures to contain coronavirus infections, three host prefectures are still allowing a limited number of spectators at Olympic venues. Over the last week, the bulk of the fans at Kashima Soccer Stadium, about 70 miles northeast of the Olympic Stadium in Ibaraki Prefecture, were schoolchildren, dressed identically in their summer uniforms and sitting two seats apart. The stadium was by no means full: no more than 1,200 schoolchildren, chaperoned by teachers and school officials, were allowed into a venue that has a capacity of more than 40,000. Wearing face masks, the children were instructed that they could clap but never cheer out loud.

Source: New York Times July 28, 2021 15:45 UTC