The President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach, ensures that the Tokyo 2020 Olympics is canceled if it cannot be held in 2021 due to the corona virus pandemic.
Bach believes that the delay cannot be continuous and will support Japan if it cannot hold the biggest sports party in the world because of the uncontrollable situation
“To be honest, I understand [the Japanese position] because you cannot continue to employ 3,000 or 5,000 people on the organizing committee,” Bach said.
“You cannot change the sports schedules of all major federations around the world every year. You cannot put athletes in uncertainty, nor can there be overlapping Olympics in the future,” he continued.
According to Bach, rescheduling the Olympics is a huge task. The former German fencing athlete will continue to heed advice from the World Health Organization (WHO) to ensure the continuation of the 2020 Olympics.
“We have set one principle, and it aims to set the Olympics to be in a safe environment for all participants. Nobody knows what the world will be like in one year and two months from today, so we have to rely on [experts],” Bach said quoted from AFP.
Bach did not say the vaccine was a prerequisite for holding the Olympics, but the option without an audience seemed to be a separate topic.
“This is not what we want. Because the Olympic spirit is about uniting the fans and this is what makes the Olympics so unique and they are in the stadium together.”
“But when that becomes a decision […] I will ask you to give me more time to consult with athletes, the World Health Organization, with Japanese partners,” Bach said.
The IOC has set aside US $ 800 million to help organizers and sports federations in relation to the Olympic delays. According to the latest budget, the Olympics will cost US $ 12.6 billion, with funding divided between the organizing committee, the Japanese government and the city of Tokyo.
The 2020 Olympics is planned to take place midway through this year, but in March it was confirmed to be postponed to July 23 next year due to the covid-19 pandemic.
Japan has said it will not hold the Olympics if it is postponed again next year.
