Tokyo Olympics Considers Banning Alcohol in Athletes Village amid COVID-19 Pandemic

Organizers for the Summer Olympics in Tokyo are weighing a possible ban on alcohol inside the Olympic Village, according to the Associated Press' Stephen Wade.

Toshiro Muto, CEO for the Tokyo Games, said officials have yet to determine an alcohol policy and that a final decision could come by the end of the month.

Muto conceded a blanket ban on alcohol within the Olympic Village would be difficult to enforce.

"In the case that they were to drink inside their own rooms—this is equivalent to cases where we are drinking in our own home," he said. "Can we prohibit that? That’s not conceivable. It would be very difficult to do so."

Muto said it's possible alcohol could only be banned from public areas within the village.

While ultimately a somewhat trivial concern, a partial alcohol ban would be yet another hardship thrust upon the athletes during the 2020 Olympics.

Those taking part will have to undergo daily COVID-19 testing, and Wade wrote they'll also need to consent to the use of GPS monitoring of their movements throughout the Olympic Village. 

That's in addition to a waiver that absolves the International Olympic Committee and organizers from any liability regarding COVID-19-related issues. 

Yahoo Sports' Henry Bushnell shared a portion of the waiver in which an athlete must agree to competing "at my own risk and own responsibility, including any impact on my participation to and/or performance in the Games, serious bodily injury or even death raised by the potential exposure to health hazards such the transmission of COVID-19 and other infectious disease or extreme heat conditions while attending the Games."