Just two weeks before the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony, Japanese athletes and staff stoically accepted Thursday's decision to bar spectators from events in the Japanese capital and three neighboring prefectures during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It doesn't alter my focus," said badminton player Nozomi Okuhara, who won Olympic bronze in the women's singles event at the 2016 Games. "I'll prepare so I can give my best performance."
Men's soccer player Yuta Nakayama admitted he had imagined playing in a "home game atmosphere," but acknowledged such decisions could not be based solely on athletes' feelings.