IOC boss optimistic Tokyo 2020 will go ahead

Thomas Bach says that all stakeholders must work together to give the Games the best chance of taking place in 2021.

Japan.- The President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach has said ‘extraordinary measures’ are needed for the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

The Olympic Games were pushed back to next summer due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Scientists and Japanese government officials remain cautious as to whether the games will even go ahead next year.

Bach is more optimistic, but says that all stakeholders must work together to ensure the challenges presented by Covid-19 are overcome.

In an article on the official Olympic website, he said: “This is a first in our long Olympic history, and it is an immense task for the IOC, our Japanese partners and friends, and all the members of our Olympic community.

“This new situation will need all our solidarity, creativity, determination and flexibility. We shall all need to make sacrifices and compromises.

“Extraordinary circumstances call for extraordinary measures. This situation requires every one of us to do our part, and this applies to all of us, including the IOC.”

On the cost of postponing the Games, Bach added: “For our part, we have made it clear that the IOC will continue to be responsible for its share of the operational burden and its share of the costs for these postponed Games, under the terms of the existing agreement for 2020 that we have with our Japanese partners and friends.

“Although it is too early to give an exact figure, we already know that we have to shoulder several hundred million US dollars of postponement costs.

“This is why we also need to look into and review all the services that we provide for these postponed Games.”