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IOC President Thomas Bach
Photo:
Sammy Minkoff / imago images / Sammy Minkoff
IOC President Thomas Bach has once again committed to hosting the Olympic Games in Tokyo this summer.
"At the moment we have absolutely no reason to believe that the Tokyo Olympic Games will not open in the Tokyo Olympic Stadium on July 23," said the president of the International Olympic Committee of the Japanese news agency Kyodo.
Bach affirmed that there was "no plan B" for hosting the Games: "We want to make these Games safe and successful."
Apparently Bach also wanted to set an example in the debate.
The only thing is that they are the same words as they were a year ago.
As a reminder: The novel corona virus had crossed national and continental borders in the first months of 2020.
An epidemic had turned into a pandemic that has since changed the lives of everyone on earth.
The sports world has long since stood still, but the IOC continued to hold on to the planned hosting of the Olympic Games.
The pressure, especially from the athletes, grew, but Bach always insisted that the games would take place as planned in summer 2020.
A postponement had not even been discussed at an IOC executive meeting in early March, said Bach.
Two weeks later the same slogans: "The IOC remains unreservedly committed to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games," Plan B was also mentioned at the time.
It was officially said that there was none.
A week later, the games were postponed to summer 2021.
Does history repeat itself?
Do the games have to be finally canceled?
In any case, the corona virus has already reported back with power.
Due to the significantly increased number of coronavirus cases, Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga had expanded the state of emergency beyond the Tokyo area to seven other prefectures in the previous week.
In addition, the mood in the country is shifting towards the world's largest sporting event.
In the latest polls, a clear majority of the Japanese were in favor of canceling or relocating the Olympics.
Nevertheless, Prime Minister Suga had recently confirmed on several occasions that he wanted to stick to the Tokyo Games.
There are mainly financial considerations behind this.
The organizers have been trying for months to plan for summer games under corona conditions.
The number of viewers could also be reduced.
The IOC must be "flexible" and "make sacrifices" in order to protect the lives of those involved.
“Safety comes first.
When it comes to safety, there must be no taboo, ”said Bach.
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sak / dpa
