IOC chief praises ‘best-ever prepared’ host city Tokyo as Olympic Village opens

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Olympics chief Thomas Bach praised Tokyo yesterday as the “best-ever prepared” host city, as athletes began entering the Olympic Village 10 days before the opening ceremony.

The final countdown to the Games comes with Tokyo under a coronavirus state of emergency and spectators banned from attending all

Olympic events in the city and surrounding regions.

International Olympic Committee President Bach, who arrived in Japan last week and spent three days in quarantine, told Tokyo 2020 chief Seiko Hashimoto that organisers were “doing a fantastic job”.

“You have managed to make Tokyo the best-ever prepared city for an Olympic Games,” he said.

“This is even more remarkable under the difficult circumstances we all have to face.”

The pair met as the first athletes began entering the Olympic Village, which opened yesterday without any of the welcome ceremonies or media opportunities often seen at the Games.

Organisers declined to even specify which teams were entering or how many athletes were now in the Village.

Strict coronavirus rules mean athletes can only enter the Village five days before their events and must leave within 48 hours of winning or being eliminated.

Despite the low-key opening, Bach said organisers could “be confident that the stage is set”.

Aside from the spectator ban in Tokyo and surrounding regions, the public will also be kept out of almost all venues elsewhere in Japan.

Athletes, media and officials are subject to regular virus testing and limits on their movement.

Polls have regularly found most Japanese would prefer the Olympics to be postponed further or cancelled outright, though opposition has softened in recent weeks.