TOKYO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th July, 2021) Tokyo is the "best-ever prepared" city to host the Olympics despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, Thomas Bach, the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), said on Tuesday.
Back met earlier in the day with organizing committee president Seiko Hashimoto and CEO Toshiro Muto.
"You have managed to make Tokyo the best-ever prepared city for the Olympic Games. This is even more remarkable under the difficult circumstances we all have to face," Bach said.
At the same time, he stressed that there are still many things left to do in the 10 days before the opening ceremony, and noted that the organizers' duties will be over only when all the athletes return to their home countries.�
The Summer Olympics in Tokyo, initially scheduled for 2020, were postponed for a year due to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. The Games are now set to run from July 23 until August 8 despite harsh backlash from the public (some 50-80% of the Japanese population oppose Olympics taking place this year) and medical experts as Japan struggles with the surge in COVID-19 cases.
To ensure safety, the government has imposed a number of restrictions, including banning spectators from the majority of the events. The state of emergency will be in effect throughout the entire duration of the Olympics.
