The Japan Times
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said Tuesday the recent staging of various sporting events across the world, despite restrictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic, should provide “confidence” in preparing for the Tokyo Games next summer.
In a message titled “Olympism and Corona” II, Bach wrote sport is “widely recognized as an essential factor in fighting the pandemic” and “accepted as an integral part of the solution for the crisis recovery.”
While looking forward to the time when many essential restrictions currently in place can be eased, Bach vowed to keep contributing to the containment of the virus by acting responsibly in scheduling events, given every mishap could “undo the great progress” made in the past few months.
Bach also said the development of rapid tests for the virus and positive signs from the scientific and medical community on the potential availability of approved vaccines, possibly before the end of this year, will further boost the chances of hosting the games.
“To the many different scenarios the IOC is planning for, we have added one to fully exploit the potential of testing and vaccines,” Bach said.
He added that “there are good reasons for cautious optimism” given that recent sporting events have successfully been held even without such testing methods or vaccines, which are not necessarily the “silver bullet” to solve all the problems.
The former Olympic fencer said the IOC will draw from the experience of sports organizations that have recently hosted successful events.