IOC chief Bach says 'no plan B' for Tokyo Olympics

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International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach puts his face mask on after a joint press conference between IOC president and Tokyo 2020 president Mori Yoshiro in Tokyo, Japan, Nov. 16, 2020. (Xinhua/Du Xiaoyi)

International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach pledged on Thursday that the Tokyo Olympic Games will be held as scheduled.

Bach told Japanese news agency Kyodo that IOC is committed to the postponed Games and has "no plan B" although skepticism over the feasibility of the Olympics has increased both in Japan and overseas because of the upsurge of COVID-19 cases.

Bach assured the hosts that the IOC firmly believes that the Tokyo Olympics will open on July 23 in the Olympic stadium.

"This is why there is no plan B and this is why we are fully committed to making these games safe and successful," he told Kyodo.

Dick Pound, the IOC's longest-serving member, also backtracked on his previous comments, claiming that the postponed Tokyo Olympic Games will be held in the summer.

The 78-year-old Canadian said on January 8 that he was not "certain" that the Tokyo Games would take place.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has consistently vowed to host the Games as scheduled but former Foreign Minister Taro Kono, now the minister for administrative and regulatory reform, said earlier that anything can happen for the Games.

Kono said that the Olympics "could go either way", and called on the IOC for "Plan B, Plan C". Takeshi Niinami, an economic advisor to Suga, said he was not sure whether the Tokyo Olympics could be held or not, suggesting that a decision could be made by end of March.

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