BERLIN – The Tokyo Olympics in 2021 could be a "celebration of
humanity" if the coronavirus pandemic is overcome by then,
International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach has told
athletes.
In a video message following the postponement of the 2020 Games on
Tuesday, Bach said the Olympic movement had "no blueprint" for the
"extremely challenging task" of reorganizing the event for 2021.
"I cannot promise ideal solutions but I can promise that we do
everything to have the best possible Games for everybody and first
and foremost for you, the athletes," he said.
The IOC and the Tokyo organizers have said they now wanted to hold
the Games no later than the summer of 2021.
Bach said the Olympics were the "most complex event on this planet"
and asked athletes "to give us a bit of time now" to study how to
arrange a 2021 event and "put this huge jigsaw together."
He asked athletes for their input and to imagine what the Games in
2021 could signify.
"These Olympic Games could finally be the celebration of humanity
after having overcome this unprecedented crisis of the coronavirus,"
he said.