Olympics chief vows to minimise virus risk to Japan

TOKYO: Olympics chief Thomas Bach pledged Wednesday “not to bring any risk” to Japan with the Games, seeking to reassure a sceptical public as virus cases surge just over a week before Tokyo 2020 begins.

Fans have been banned from Olympic events in the capital, which is under emergency restrictions to curb rising infection numbers that on Wednesday hit highs not seen since January.

As more athletes arrive in Japan and move into the Olympic Village, International Olympic Committee chief Bach promised a safe summer Games.

“We are making all our efforts and the Japanese people have all our commitment to contribute in the best way to fight this virus and not to bring any risk to the Japanese people,” Bach told reporters after meeting Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.

Bach said “85 percent of all the residents in the Olympic Village and almost 100 percent of the IOC members and staff coming here to Tokyo arrive vaccinated.

“This is why I´d like to humbly ask the Japanese people to warmly welcome the athletes from all around the world who have overcome, like the Japanese people, so many challenges.”

On Wednesday there were 1,149 new cases recorded in Tokyo, the highest since January 22.

Organisers announced the decision to ban spectators from all but a tiny number of Olympic events last week, following repeated warnings from experts about the risk of crowds gathering as infections rise.

In an exchange with major global press agencies later on Wednesday, Bach said his team had strived to maintain a confident stance after Tokyo 2020 was postponed in March last year.

“In these 15 months, we had doubts every day. This was a situation of high uncertainty,” he said.

“Quite honestly, it was way, way more complex than we thought it would be when we agreed on this postponement.”

But by projecting confidence and taking decisions seriously, the IOC kept other parties on side, from athletes to sports federations and local authorities, Bach said.