IOC President Thomas Bach has stated once again that the Olympics will go ahead this summer and that the organisation has no 'plan B'.
#BREAKING The virus-delayed Tokyo Olympics will go ahead this summer, and there is "no plan B," International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach said in an interview with Kyodo News Thursday @AFP
— Natsuko Fukue (@natfukue) January 21, 2021
Speaking to the Kyodo News, Bach reiterated that another delay to the Games, which were scheduled for Summer 2020 was not an option.
“We have at this moment, no reason whatsoever to believe that the Olympic Games in Tokyo will not open on the 23rd of July.
“This is why there is no plan B and this is why we are fully committed to make these Games safe and successful.”
Bach's comments come after a spike in COVID-19 cases in Tokyo, with a recent poll stating that 80 percent of the city's residents would prefer if the Olympics were postponed again or cancelled.
Earlier this week, Tokyo 2020 organising committee CEO Toshiro Muto stated that there was an "unwavering"determination to hold the Olympics in July.
Speaking to the AFP network, Muto said that the committee were not "discussing cancellation policy".
"I don't know how possible that is, but basically, having no fans is not desirable. If we don't plan this thoroughly, we can't hold a safe and secure Olympics.
"The situation with coronavirus in Japan and around the world is very severe, so of course people are feeling anxious.
"It's precisely because we're in this situation that we need to remember the value of the Olympics, that humankind can coexist peacefully through sport.
"If we can hold a big event like the Tokyo Olympics alongside the coronavirus, the Tokyo model will become one of our legacies."
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