LAUSANNE, (Switzerland): International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach will arrive in Tokyo in the middle of July ahead of the Olympic Games and will not visit before, he said on Thursday.
Bach had wanted to travel to Tokyo in recent months to monitor preparations ahead of the postponed Olympics but those plans were put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Read AlsoFrom triumph of 1964 Olympics to COVID: Japan then and nowJapan hoped that holding the 2020 Olympics would reprise the triumph of 1964, when it became the first Asian host of the Games and gained a huge economic boost, but the coronavirus has muted the excitement of an event since rescheduled to start on July 23.He said he would arrive prior to the July 23 start of the Games, postponed last year due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
“This has been discussed with Tokyo 2020 whether it would really make sense to go back and forth,” Bach told a virtual news conference.
Read AlsoIOC pushes for more vaccinations of Tokyo-bound athletesSome 80 percent of athletes qualified for the Tokyo Olympics have already been vaccinated against COVID-19, with the International Olympic Committee pushing to raise that number with just over a month to go before the start of the Games.
Many Japanese and medical experts oppose staging the Games”Going to Tokyo, having to respect the quarantine, to be there for a couple of hours and then after two weeks going again having to respect quarantine,” he said.
“We came to the conclusion that it would be better if I arrive mid July in Tokyo, in time for the Games and all the preceding meetings and visits and organisation issues.” Read AlsoAthletes will be subject to GPS monitoring, says Tokyo 2020 CEO MutoOlympic athletes will be subject to GPS monitoring as will members of the media, Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee CEO Toshiro Muto said on Wednesday.The IOC holds a series of meetings, including a session, prior to the start of the Olympic Games.
Japan has been spared the widespread infections seen elsewhere, but has recorded more than 760,000 cases and more than 13,600 deaths.
Tokyo and some other regions are under a state of emergency set to be lifted on June 20.
About 11% of Japanese have had at least one vaccine dose – low compared with other rich nations.
To try and reassure the public, Tokyo 2020 organisers have banned foreign visitors and said visiting athletes and media crews will be monitored via GPS for the first 14 days of their stay to ensure they do not stray from itineraries.