Bach, Tokyo Olympic Games trusted ambassador

The health crisis prohibits long-term forecasts, but it does not prevent optimism.

In this context, it is incumbent upon to stealthily advance.

Thomas Bach, the president of the International Olympic Committee, on an official two-day visit to Japan on Monday expressed his optimism regarding the holding of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games (from July 23 to August 8, 2021) declaring himself " very confident ”about the presence of spectators during these Games postponed for a year due to the coronavirus.

Its ambition, to reassure the Federations, the athletes, the Japanese population, the foreign spectators and the sponsors of the holding of the Olympic event next summer.

The IOC President bases his confidence on the sporting events that are being organized, as he had already indicated on Wednesday 11 November, in Lausanne, at the end of a videoconference meeting of the IOC Executive Board: " Having seen the different tests carried out in Japan (and in particular a gymnastics tournament organized in Tokyo with 32 athletes from China, the United States, Russia and Japan, in the presence of 2,000 spectators) I think we can be more and more confident that it will be possible to have a reasonable number of spectators at the Olympic venues.

How much and under what conditions, again, that depends a lot on future developments. "

Thomas Bach relies, as he likes to recall lately, on a toolbox, a vast device ranging from barrier gestures to movement restrictions, including quarantines or screening tests for Covid-19.

In Tokyo, the German leader recalled the scope: “We are in the process of building up a huge toolbox in which we will put all the measures that we can imagine.

We will be able to take the right tools out of this box and use them to ensure a safe environment for all Games participants.

It makes us very, very confident that we will be able to have spectators in the Olympic stadiums next year. ”

His optimism is finally based on the vaccine.

He reiterated his pledge that the IOC “will make great efforts” to ensure that as many participants and spectators as possible will be vaccinated before they arrive in Japan, if a vaccine is available by next July.

If the cancellation of the Olympics surely represents a hypothesis in the arcana of the umbrella body, it is however firmly opposed in public.

As Thomas Bach stated firmly but without extending the President of the IOC last week in Lausanne.

As he, as a wise ambassador, applied to chase the idea of ​​it in Tokyo at a time when the Japanese (polls regularly lean in favor of postponing or canceling the Olympics), as the sponsors supposed to invest s 'ask (60% of national sponsors have not yet committed to extend their contracts for another year, according to AFP citing local media).

Decisions on the number of spectators allowed to attend the Olympics next year and on the rules for the public will be taken in the spring, said Toshiro Muto, director general of the Tokyo Games organizing committee on November 12.

He said quarantine rules could be lifted for foreign spectators.

Opening the door to a wind of optimism that Thomas Bach, trusted ambassador wants to surf.

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