With doubts raising over the Tokyo Olympic Games amid coronavirus outbreak, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach said the body is fully committed to make sure the tournament goes on as per schedule and turns out to be a successful event.
However, addressing Japanese media on Thursday, Bach said that at this point of time, he doesn't want to create any speculation and wants to reassure the athletes and to encourage them to go ahead with full steam with regard to their training and their preparations for the Tokyo Games.
“... but also to ensure the qualification and the preparations of the athletes of the world, because the safety of every participant at the Olympic Games, be it athlete, official, spectator, is the top priority for the IOC and also for the Organising Committee Tokyo 2020," Bach said.
Senior IOC member Dick Pound recently said that if it proves too dangerous to hold the Olympics in Tokyo because of the coronavirus outbreak, organisers are likely to cancel it altogether than to postpone or move it.
"What it is now, is to ensure the qualification procedure and protecting the safety of the athletes at the same time. This is what we are doing in cooperation with the Japanese authorities, with the World Health Organisation, also in cooperation with the Chinese Olympic Committee and the authorities and with many NOCs,” said Bach.
The IOC chief further said that the Japanese authorities are taking very important measures to make sure the Games start on time and that there's no difficulty for the athletes as well as the spectators.
"This determination by Japan and this great solidarity by the sports movement and beyond the sports movement puts us in a position again to say we are continuing our preparations for these are successful Games as planned," Bach added.
The Tokyo Olympic Games are scheduled to be held from 24 July to 9 August.
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