With the development of the global pandemic, especially the local pandemic in Japan, the discussion on whether the Tokyo Olympic Games will be held as planned has never stopped.
Last night Beijing time, IOC President Bach reassured the Tokyo Olympics.
He said that the Tokyo Olympic Games will definitely be held as scheduled this summer, and even at a time when the pandemic is not under control, the International Olympic Committee has no “Plan B”.
Refuting rumors
Bach said in an interview with Kyodo News Agency of Japan.
“At present, we have no reason to believe that the Tokyo Olympic Games will not open at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo on July 23.”
He also said: “This is also why we did not have Plan B, and why we are fully committed to the safety and success of the Olympic Games.”
Bach’s statement is obviously to refute the question raised last week by Taro Kono, Japan’s Minister of Administrative Reform.
Taro Kono, who used to be Japan’s Foreign Minister and Defense Minister, said in an interview on the 14th: “Everything is possible… The International Olympic Committee must prepare Plan B and Plan C.”
Since January 8, many parts of Japan, including Tokyo, have declared a state of emergency due to the serious pandemic situation, and voices doubting that the Tokyo Olympic Games may be cancelled have gradually increased.
Bach, including Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiro Kan, Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee Chairman Yoshiro Mori and CEO Toshiro Muto, and World AAF President Sebastian Ko, also made statements in recent days that the Tokyo Olympic Games could not be cancelled.
However, Bach’s attitude has also changed delicately about how to hold it.” The first priority is safety. As long as it is guaranteed, there are no taboos in other aspects.
Bach’s current opinion is obviously different from that of his visit to Japan last November, when he said that he would allow “a reasonable number of spectators” to enter the game.
According to the plan of the Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee, the Tokyo Olympic Test will be restarted on March 4 and the national Olympic torch relay will begin at the end of March. Obviously, all these arrangements are racing against time.
Pound changed his mind.
The most famous “big trumpet” around the Tokyo Olympic Games is Dick Pound, a member of the International Olympic Committee. Pound, 78, has been a member of the International Olympic Committee since 1978.
Two weeks ago, he told the BBC that he was “not sure” that the Olympics could be held this summer. However, his uncertainty has changed recently.
In an interview on the 20th, he said, “No one can guarantee that [the Olympic Games can be held as planned), but I think there is a very good opportunity now that the Tokyo Olympic Games can be held.”
Pound believes that it is certainly a good thing to have an audience at the scene, but the Olympic Games are not without spectators.” The bottom line is that whether there are spectators or not, it is better to let the Olympic Games run first than to cancel it directly because there is no audience.
“All signs indicate that the Olympics will be held as scheduled, and there is no reason not to hold it now.” Pound said.
He also reiterated that the Tokyo Olympics could not be postponed again, “either 2021 or cancelled.”
Pound also said that the Japanese government should explain the relevant policies to the public more fully when declaring a state of emergency in some areas, so that the majority of the Japanese people do not support the hosting of the Olympic Games in the poll.
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