Olympic effort on smoking

The Tokyo Organizing Committee of the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic games intends to impose a tobacco smoking ban at all indoor and outdoor games venues, according to a story in The Japan Times citing The Yomiuri Shimbun.

Quoting unnamed sources, the Times said it would be the first time that such a measure had been taken at a Summer Olympic Games.

In 2017, the committee announced plans to ban smoking within buildings used for the games. However, at that time, it was still studying a ban on smoking outside the buildings because there had been smoking areas on the premises of the 2012 London Olympics and the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

According to the sources, the Tokyo committee’s move not to allow smoking areas within the sites of the two games would be line with the wishes of the International Olympic Committee, which promotes smoke-free games.

At the PyeongChang Winter Olympics in 2018, a total smoking ban was imposed on venue sites, but cigarette butts ended up being scattered around entrances. So the Tokyo committee will discuss with local governments, including the Tokyo metropolitan government, what measures will have to be taken.