Bach confident of safe Tokyo Olympic Games
The International Olympic Committee has confidence in its preparations and in Japanese government support for next year’s Tokyo Olympics, but said all scenarios would be discussed in the coming weeks amid the ongoing pandemic.
IOC President Thomas Bach said his organisation was committed to delivering a safe Games and had the full support of the Japanese government following the resignation of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, but the look of next year’s Games was still unclear.
“In the coming weeks you will see important and intensive discussions taking place with regard to different scenarios to COVID-19 counter measures,” Bach told a news conference following an executive board meeting. “We remain focused on delivering safe and successful Games next year.”
The Tokyo 2020 Games were postponed to next year in an unprecedented decision in March as the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the globe. Bach said while several aspects of the Games’ organisation, such as international spectators or qualifications processes, needed to be finalised months in advance, no deadline for those had yet been set. “At some stage before the Games we will have to take these relevant decisions but right now I am not in a position to give you a concrete answer. We don’t know how the world looks like tomorrow.”