Tokyo Games, Bach believes it and excludes a new postponement

    Or in the summer of 2021 or never. The Tokyo Olympics will no longer be subject to any extension, or displacements, if for no other reason "because athletes - as IOC president Thomas Bach admitted - cannot live in uncertainty".
    The number 1 of world sport, in a long interview granted to the BBC, revealed that there is no plan b and "did not exist even this year", because "Games are an event involving many, too many people from an organizational point of view ". "The Olympics behind closed doors is not what we want or imagine - he explained, regarding the five-circle event scheduled from 23 July to 8 August next year -. The Japanese one can be a unique event, capable of send a message of solidarity among all the countries of the world, but also to celebrate the triumph over the coronavirus ".
    And in case it could not go on stage? Bach has no doubts: "It will be canceled, not moved again. However, it is not easy to talk about it now: when we have a vision of what the world will be like in summer 2021, we will make the most appropriate decisions.
    We rely on the WHO, so as to organize the Games in a safe environment for everyone. However, we must be ready for any scenario ".
    The IOC has allocated $ 800 million to contribute to the financial impact caused by the postponement of Tokyo 2020. The total additional cost for Japan has been estimated at between $ 2 billion and $ 6 billion. Bach said there should also be cuts in the Tokyo Games. "They will certainly be different, they must be different - he said -. If we have all learned something during this crisis, then we need to think about the essentials and not so much about the beautiful things to have. This concentration on the essentials should reflect on the organization of the Games. .. There should be no taboos. "
    Bach said he was "happy" for the Bundesliga's restart in his native Germany. "I would like all the other sports to come back - he said - I hope this is the first step.
    Sport must respect the rules, like any other organization, but it must be resumed. The important thing is to do it responsibly. Sport is a a very important economic factor. We have studied that about 3% of all jobs offered in Europe are related to sport, which is why we urge governments to honor and recognize the role of sport, including them in their relaunch programs ". (HANDLE).