IOC President Thomas Bach says there is “no reason at all” to believe that the Olympic Games will not happen with a delay in Tokyo this summer; Match organizers told Sky Sports News they had not talked about another delay
Last updated: 21/01/21 12:48 pm
Saturday marks six months until the reorganized Olympics begin on July 23rd
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach says there is no “Plan B” for the 2020 Tokyo 2020 Games.
Event organizers reported Sky Sports News last week they remained committed to hosting the summer showcase event and had not postponed another discussion – a view backed by Bach.
The Olympic delay, which is scheduled to begin on July 23, defies public support in Japan amid a surge in coronavirus cases worldwide.
“We have no reason at this stage to believe that the Tokyo Olympic Games will not open on July 23 at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo,” Bach said. Kyodo News.
The IOC said last year that they would not postpone the Games beyond 2021.
Japan has recently seen a rise in Covid-19 levels with many parts of the country in a state of emergency, but organizers are “unwilling to see the Games behind closed doors”.
Tokyo 2020 spokeswoman Masa Takaya said Sky Sports News Games organizing committee they would be keeping a close eye on how other sports started their seasons in Japan over the next few weeks to see how spectators can be taken.
0:38 Masa Takaya of the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee is confident that the Games will be held in 2021 and will not need to be postponed for a second time
“In an excellent world the Games should take place in a state of celebration, made by spectators and that is what we want to achieve,” he said.
Team GB Chef of Mission Mark England said last week that he is “extremely confident” that the Tokyo Olympics will take place this year, even if they are different due to the ongoing pandemic impact of Covid- 19.