A ban on physical touch among Olympic athletes is one of several strict new rules being implemented for the Summer Games in Tokyo later this year.
According to an article on People.com, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) published the first of its official Tokyo 2020 Playbooks that outline rules and regulations that will be put into place at the Games, which will begin on July 23 and go until Aug. 8 after being postponed last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Under the new rules, athletes and officials must wear a face mask "at all times" unless they are sleeping, eating, or at least six feet away from others while outside. Physical contact, such as hugs, handshakes, and high-fives, should also be avoided, the playbook states.
In addition, athletes and officials will not be able to use public transportation without permission. Athletes are also barred from visiting venues as spectators.
Spectators are encouraged to support the competing athletes by "clapping and not singing or chanting" from the stands, the rules state.
The number of spectators being allowed at the Games is yet to be determined.
Athletes and officials do not have to get vaccinated for the Games, the playbook says, but they must show proof of a negative coronavirus test before departure and take another test upon arrival in Tokyo, dependent upon where they are traveling from.
Still, the IOC and the National Olympic Committes (NOCs) will work together "to encourage and assist their athletes, officials and stakeholders to get vaccinated in their home countries" before traveling to Japan.
Failure to comply with the rules may result in removal from the Games, the playbook states.