Organisers took the unprecedented decision to ban overseas fans from this summer’s virus-delayed Games on Saturday, calling the move disappointing but “unavoidable” because of safety fears during the pandemic.

A poll by the Asahi Shimbun daily found that 85% of respondents think overseas fans should be barred from the event, with only 11% saying they should be allowed to attend.

The poll, which received responses from 1,564 people on Saturday and Sunday, found that less than one third of respondents (27%) think the Games should be held this summer.

The majority said they think the event should either be postponed again (36%) or cancelled (33%).

Games organisers insist another postponement is out of the question.

The latest figures suggest support for the Games is slowly growing in Japan, with a similar poll in January finding just 11% thought they should go ahead this summer, rising to 21% in February.

Another poll by the Kyodo news agency over the weekend found that 23.2% of respondents thought the Games should go ahead as scheduled, while 39.8% thought they should be cancelled.

Kyodo did not specify whether those were the only options offered to respondents. It received responses from 1,054 people.