International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach stated that the Tokyo Olympics would have to be cancelled if not held in 2021.
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach has stated that the Tokyo Olympics may have to be cancelled if the event doesn't take place in 2021. The Olympics were postponed to next year due to the outbreak of novel coronavirus.
Speaking to BBC Sport, Bach said that it is difficult to 'forever employ' a large amount of people in an organising committee, further suggesting that they cannot reschedule the Games again.
"You cannot forever employ 3,000 to 5,000 people in an organising committee," Bach told BBC Sport.
"You cannot have the athletes being in uncertainty. You cannot every year change the entire sports schedule worldwide of all the major federations.
"You cannot have so much overlapping with a future Olympic Games, so I have some understanding for this approach by our Japanese partners."
Talking about how the IOC plans to hold Olympics, Bach said that they are prepared for 'different scenarios'.
"We have to be prepared for different scenarios. There is the clear commitment to having these games in July next year.
"At the same time, looking at the scenarios this may require towards the organisation, with regard to health measures, these maybe need quarantine for the athletes, for part of the athletes, for other participants."
However, Bach insisted that there are no clarity over any plans as of now. The coronavirus pandemic is far from being over, and the IOC president stated that decisions will be taken when things become clearer with regards to the pandemic.
"What could this mean for the life in an Olympic Village and so on? All these different scenarios are under consideration and this is why I'm saying it's a mammoth task, because there are so many different options that it's not easy to address them [now]. When we have a clear view on how the world will look on 23 July, 2021, then [we will] take the appropriate decisions," said Bach.
