Olympics supremo Thomas Bach lavished praise on Tokyo on Tuesday as the best-ever prepared host city for the Olympic Games.
The head of the International Olympic Committee, which organises the event, delivered his herogram as athletes began entering the Olympic Village 10 days before the opening ceremony on 23 July.
Bach, who arrived in Japan last week and spent three days in quarantine, told Tokyo 2020 chief Seiko Hashimoto: “Organisers are doing a fantastic job. This is even more remarkable under the difficult circumstances we all have to face."
The Games were initially scheduled for the summer of 2020 but were postponed to stem the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
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A year on, countries continue to struggle with the disease that has killed more than four million people since January 2020.
Tokyo has been placed under a coronavirus state of emergency and spectators will be barred from attending all Olympic events in the city and surrounding regions.
On Tuesday, local organisers refused to say which teams were moving in during the first day of official life in the Village where up to 18,000 athletes will be housed.
But unlike at other Olympic Games, competitors will encounter stricter rules.
They will only arrive at the Village five days before their events and they must leave within 48 hours of winning or being eliminated from the games which end on 8 August.
