IOC head to athletes: Plans ‘full steam’ ahead

there any option for cancellation or maybe postponement until next year.

Bach: “You gave the answer yourself. You said ‘theoretically,’ and you will understand that I’m not ready to add fuel to the flames of speculation there in any way. It is about now, not about speculation. What it is now it is to ensure the qualification procedure and protecting the safety of the athletes at the same time.”

Q: What are the things you think are important for the Japanese to do for safe conditions that satisfy the IOC for staging the games?

Bach: “We have seen the Japanese authorities taking very important measures, just also today. We appreciate the close cooperation with the organizing committee, which is doing everything to ensure the safety of the athletes and all the visitors to Japan. We also see in this respect, again, the great solidarity of the world to contribute to the safety of the games and contribute to successful games.”

Q: What are your messages to the Japanese people and people around the world who are looking forward to these Olympics?

Bach: “The IOC is fully committed to the success of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.”

■ Chinese swimmer Sun Yang was banned for eight years on Friday for breaking anti-doping rules and will miss the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport found the three-time Olympic champion guilty of refusing to cooperate with sample collectors during a visit to his home in September 2018 that turned confrontational.

In a rare hearing in open court in November, evidence was presented of how a security guard instructed by Sun’s mother used a hammer to smash the casing around a vial of his blood.

The swimmer had asked CAS for a public trial.

The 6-foot-7 Sun, the first Chinese swimmer to win Olympic gold, has long been a polarizing figure in the pool. Rivals branded him a drug cheat at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, and two competitors refused to stand with him on medal podiums at the 2019 world championships.