Jill Biden to head US delegation to Olympics
Tokyo, Japan - Olympics chief Thomas Bach praised Tokyo on Tuesday as the 'best-ever prepared' host city, as athletes began entering the Olympic Village ten 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 (IOC) 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 Tuesday without any of the welcome ceremonies or media opportunities often seen at the Games.
"We are sitting in one boat and we are rowing together with full force in the same direction," Bach said as he met with committee head Seiko Hashimoto for the first time in person since his arrival in Tokyo last Thursday.
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.
Washington, US - The White House on Tuesday said First Lady Jill Biden will lead the US delegation to the Tokyo Olympics, which President Joe Biden is skipping due to Japan's COVID-19 lockdown.
"First Lady Jill Biden will travel to the opening ceremony of the 2021 Olympic
Polls have regularly found most Japanese would prefer the Olympics to be postponed further or cancelled outright, though opposition has softened in recent weeks.
‘Chinese people’
Bach also appeared to stumble over his words in his brief remarks, referring to the
Summer Games," the White House said. The ceremony takes place July 23. The president is not going, in recognition of the extraordinary health precautions around the Tokyo Games, with fans banned from stadiums and athletes not allowed on public transport. 'Chinese people' rather than 'Japanese people'.
“Our common target is safe and secure Games for everybody; for the athletes, for all the delegations, and most importantly also for the Chinese people - Japanese people,” Bach said, quickly noticing his mistake.
The IOC chief’s comments at the briefing were interpreted from English to Japanese, but the slip was not included in the translations.
Domestic news outlets and social media, however, were quick to pounce on the slip-up, with some lambasting Bach.
Beijing is due to host the Winter Olympics in February.
He ended his speech with a Japanese phrase: ' Gambari mashou', which translates as 'Let’s do our best'.
Organisers and the IOC decided last week to ban fans from all but a handful of outlying venues, a move that came after the Japanese government instituted a state of emergency in Tokyo forced by rising coronavirus cases.
Also on Tuesday, police in Tokyo said a group of four US and British men working for a power company contracted to the Olympics were arrested on suspicion of using cocaine.