After the Tokyo Olympics were postponed to 2021 amid the COVID-19 outbreak, International Olympic Committee (IOC) chief Thomas Bach indicated that Tokyo Games would have to be scrapped if the event cannot be held next year
In March, the IOC and Japanese government delayed the Games, which had been due to start in July, for a year.
“Quite frankly, I have some understanding for this, because you can’t forever employ 3,000 or 5,000 people in an Organising Committee,” IOC chief Bach told BBC.
“You can’t every year change the entire sports schedule worldwide of all the major federations. You can’t have the athletes being in uncertainty,” he added.
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Earlier, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had also said that the major sporting event cannot take place in 2021 unless the virus is contained. Bach further added that he understood his position.
“All these different scenarios are under consideration and this is why I’m saying it’s a mammoth task because there are so many different options that it’s not easy to address them (now). When we have a clear view on how the world will look on July 23, 2021, then (we will) take the appropriate decisions,” Bach said.