Japanese authorities have told the Olympic and Paralympic committees that it was highly unlikely that entry to the country could be guaranteed. Organisers have said that the move now gives clarity to ticket holders and helps ensure a safe and secure Games for all participants and the Japanese public.

The Games are due to begin on July 23 with the Paralympics following a month later, from August 24. Organisers said that the Covid-19 situation in Japan and many other countries, global travel restrictions and emergence of variant strains of the virus had led to the decision and that ticket holders would be refunded.

The Olympics were postponed by a year in March last year because of the growing spread of coronavirus across the world. It is the first time in the event's history it has been postponed, with more than 11,000 athletes from about 200 countries scheduled to take part in 2020.

Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee, said: “The move is a great sacrifice for everybody. We share the disappointment of all enthusiastic Olympic Games fans from around the world, and of course the families and friends of the athletes, who were planning to come to the Games. For this I am truly sorry.

"Every decision has to respect the principle of safety first. I know that our Japanese partners and friends did not reach this conclusion lightly. We stand shoulder-to-shoulder at the side of our Japanese partners and friends, without any kind of reservation, to make the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 a great success."

International Paralympic Committee president Andrew Parsons said: "Difficult decisions had to be made with safety the top priority.

"It goes without saying that in an ideal world we would prefer to have international spectators at the Games. But at the moment we must acknowledge that due to the global pandemic we are not living in an ideal world."

The British Olympic Association (BOA) said that while it is a very disappointing situation, it highlights the extreme determination to stage a safe event during the pandemic. A BOA statement said: "This is very sad news, not only for British fans but particularly for the family and friends of athletes."

The exclusion of international fans comes as another major financial blow to the Tokyo Games.