Japan's crowdless sport - A prelude to a coronavirus-hit Games?

Combination photos show runners fill the street at the start of the Tokyo Marathon 2019 in Tokyo, Japan in this March 3, 2019 (left) Kyodo photo and runners during the Tokyo Marathon 2020 in Tokyo, Japan March 1, 2020. The 2020 Tokyo Marathon was limited to elite runners marking the latest sports events to be affected by fears over the new coronavirus. Mandatory credit Kyodo via REUTERS and Charly Triballeau/Pool via REUTERS

TOKYO (Reuters) - A line of masked spectators raises muffled cheers for elite marathon runners, and a baseball bat's thud on a ball echoes around a vast, empty stadium: Sport in Tokyo this weekend set the tone for how a coronavirus-hit Olympic Games could play out.

For the first time ever, Japan's professional baseball teams staged pre-season openers behind closed doors after the country dramatically escalated its response to the global coronavirus epidemic by closing schools and cancelling mass events.