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The postponed Olympics have to be held subsequent yr “by all means”, Tokyo’s governor stated on Wednesday, changing into the most recent official to insist the occasion is possible regardless of the coronavirus pandemic. Yuriko Koike’s remarks, at an occasion hosted by Kyodo information company, come after International Olympic Committee vice-president John Coates instructed AFP that the Games would go forward in 2021 “with or without COVID”. “Athletes are going by way of a lot hardship as a result of one-year delay on condition that their bodily situation and motivation have been focused at this summer time,” Koike stated, in keeping with an English translation of her remarks revealed by Kyodo.
“We have to go forward with the Games next summer by all means,” she added, on the company occasion for the information company’s subscribers.
The metropolis will “implement every possible measure” to make sure the security of the occasion, Koike stated.
On Tuesday, Japan’s Olympic minister additionally stated the occasion needs to be held subsequent yr, given athletes’ efforts to be prepared.
“I feel we have to hold it at any cost,” Seiko Hashimoto stated when requested about Coates’s remarks.
The 2020 Games have been postponed in a historic choice earlier this yr due to the pandemic, and they’re now set to open on July 23, 2021.
But Japan’s borders are nonetheless largely closed to international guests and a vaccine is months and even years away.
Officials have made clear that one other delay wouldn’t be doable, and there are indicators that public enthusiasm in Japan is waning.
Despite the obstacles, Coates stated on Monday he was assured the Games would open as deliberate subsequent yr, vowing they would be the “Games that conquered COVID”.
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“It will take place with or without COVID. The Games will start on July 23 next year,” he stated.
The Tokyo 2020 organisers haven’t commented instantly on whether or not they agree with Coates’s evaluation however stated his remarks confirmed the IOC was dedicated to holding the Games subsequent yr.
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