The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Wednesday 19 May, reassured the skeptical Japanese citizens that the Tokyo Olympics would be safe for athletes as well as the host city residents, amid mounting protests against the summer games due to worries that it will fuel a spike in COVID-19 cases.
Speaking in Tokyo alongside senior Japanese stakeholders, the IOC chief executive Thomas Bach said he believed more than 80% of residents of the Olympic Village would be vaccinated or booked for vaccination ahead of the Games set to start on July 23.
The IOC boss rejected rising calls to cancel the global sporting showdown, which has already been delayed once due to the pandemic, saying that other sporting events had proved the Olympics could be conducted with very strict COVID precautions.
Japan is keeping up with its fight on a fourth wave of infections, although a slow vaccination campaign has threatened the already shaky public confidence that the Games should proceed.
"Together with our Japanese partners and friends, I can only re-emphasise this full commitment of the IOC to organise safe Olympic and Paralympic games for everybody," Bach said.
The IOC Head said the IOC would do its part to keep the Japanese public safe, by having additional medical personnel as part of the NOC delegations to support the medical operations and the strict implementation of the COVID 19 measures.