Foreign volunteers will not be allowed to serve in the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympic Games this summer, a countermeasure against Covid-19, the organisers said.
Tokyo 2020 organising committee CEO Toshiro Muto said on Monday that foreign volunteers with "special skills" necessary for the smooth running of the Olympics and Paralympics might retain their positions and enter Japan under special entry rules, Xinhua news reports.
An exception could be made for "around 500 volunteers", who will be selected from a pool of about 2,000 people living overseas.
Of the 80,000 registered volunteers set to work for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, 10 per cent are foreign nationals.
Organisers have already barred overseas spectators from entering Japan during the Games.