Business as usual for NZOC amid uncertainty

New Zealand Olympic officials say they have had no indication the Tokyo Olympic Games will not be held as scheduled and are preparing as if they will open in July.

The Times in London has reported that the Japanese government has privately concluded the Games would have to be cancelled, due to Covid outbreaks in Japan.

The Times and the New York Times are both reporting IOC president Thomas Bach went on Kyodo News in Japan to calm things down.

New Zealand Olympic Committee officials had not changed their thinking, an NZOC spokesman said.

‘‘Everything we’ve heard from the IOC, Games organisers and the Japanese Government is that the Games are going ahead, so our focus is on preparing,’’ an NZOC spokesman said.

‘‘Both the Japanese Government and the IOC have this week strongly reaffirmed their commitment to the Tokyo Olympic Games taking place in July and August this year.’’

International Olympic Committee (IOC) officials were yesterday trying to allay concerns over a potential cancellation of the Games, which are due to be held in 2021 after Covid-19 rescheduled them from last year.

‘‘We have at this moment, no reason whatsoever to believe that the Olympic Games in Tokyo will not open on the 23rd of July in the Olympic stadium in Tokyo,’’ Bach said.

‘‘This is why there is no plan B and this is why we are fully committed to make these games safe and successful.’’

Rising Covid-19 cases have

Japanese officials bracing for a postponement, after longestserving IOC member Dick Pound said the surging virus was ‘‘the ongoing elephant in the room’’ when it came to the Games taking place.

Tokyo has declared a state of emergency due to a resurgence of cases.

According to an unnamed senior government source, there ‘‘is agreement that the Games, already postponed a year, are doomed’’.

‘‘No-one wants to be the first to say so but the consensus is that it’s too difficult,’’ the source said, according to The Times. ‘‘Personally, I don’t think it’s going to happen.’’

There was agreement that the Games, already postponed a year, were doomed, the source said, so the aim now was to find a facesaving way of announcing the cancellation that leaves open the possibility of Tokyo playing host at a later date.

The focus was now on securing the Games for the city in the next available year, 2032, an unnamed senior member of the ruling coalition said.

No other news organisation has reported that, and yesterday the NZOC said it was still ramping up preparations for a vastly different Olympic Games.

NZOC chief executive Kereyn Smith said the global situation was incredibly challenging and the New Zealand team was preparing to work within strict counter-measures on which the Games would be based.

‘‘The Olympic Games will be a vastly different event from what we’re used to,’’ said Smith.

Five wartime Olympic Games were cancelled. In 1916, 1940 and 1944 the Summer Olympics were not held, nor were the Winter Games in 1940 and 1944.