IOC president confident Tokyo games will be held in 2021: There's no 'plan B'
Despite a recent surge of COVID-19 cases in Japan, International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach is confident the rescheduled 2020 Tokyo Olympics will still take place this summer.
"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 told Kyodo News on Thursday.
"This is why there is no plan B and this is why we are fully committed to make these games safe and successful," Bach added.
The Tokyo Games were supposed to be held last July until the pandemic surged worldwide in March. The IOC postponed the 2020 Olympics until 2021 on March 30 of last year.
If the Olympics are contested, Bach hinted it could be an event unlike any other. The 67-year-old declared "safety" is the IOC's chief concern, and the organization will be "flexible" with requirements to protect everyone involved with the Tokyo Games.
Whether fans will be allowed to attend also remains unclear. Japan will ultimately make this decision, which is expected to come down by the end of the spring.
Bach added he also expects the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, to take place as scheduled.