IOC president ‘of course’ considering alternatives for Tokyo Olympics due to coronavirus

The International Olympic Committee is “of course” considering alternatives if COVID-19 makes it impossible to hold the Tokyo Games this summer, but president Thomas Bach indicated in an interview with The New York Times that cancellation is not one of them.

Despite the worsening coronavirus pandemic, Bach reiterated that the IOC does not need to make any decisions now because the opening ceremony isn’t until July 24. Conditions are changing rapidly, and Bach said the bleak conditions now might change.

“We don’t know what the situation will be,” Bach told The Times. “Of course we are considering different scenarios, but we are contrary to many other sports organizations or professional leagues in that we are four and a half months away from the Games.”

He and the IOC have come under increasing criticism in recent days from athletes and national Olympic leaders begging for clarity.

While Bach’s comments to The Times appear to echo the IOC’s previous insistence that the Games will go on as planned, there has been a shift in messaging both from him and Tokyo organizers. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said earlier in the week that he wanted Tokyo to “hold the Olympics and Paralympics perfectly.” But, for the first time, Abe made no mention of a time-frame.

In his interview with The Times, Bach essentially ruled out cancellation of the Games, saying it was “not on the agenda.” But he refused to be pinned down about a potential postponement.

“I have already answered,” Bach said when he was asked directly about postponing the Olympics. “We are committed to the success of these Games.”