Will ban on spectators at Olympics affect athlete performance?
THETFORD, Vt. (WCAX) - With Tokyo under a state of emergency due to rising COVID infection numbers, fans will be banned from stadiums and arenas when the Olympics begin in two weeks. Experts say no fans in the stands will likely have minimal impact on the overall quality of the competition. Tokyo will be the 12th Olympic Games for Peter Graves. The sportscaster from Thetford has traveled the globe broadcasting both summer and winter sports. He says that the lack of fans in Japan will affect every athlete differently. However, he predicts that the athletes will continue to compete at their top form. It makes it more of a mental sport. You have to really put that out of your mind. Focus cerebrally on the task at hand, Graves said. And when you are focused on high-level Olympic performance, particularly the goal of trying to win gold silver or bronze, you are already so focused on your mission.  Graves heads to Japan in a little over a week. He will also be covering the Paralympics. Related Story:  Veteran Olympic broadcaster headed to Tokyo games  Copyright 2021 WCAX. All rights reserved.