The International Olympic Committee President, Thomas Bach, has made clear that the Tokyo Games will go ahead as planned and also announced that Brisbane has taken another key step to being awarded the 2032 event.
At a press conference following an executive board meeting, Bach said “we are in the full delivery phase” for the Tokyo Games from July 23 to August 8 despite the coronavirus crisis and polls showing a majority of Japanese want the event scrapped or postponed.
The IOC says recent test events have shown that the Games can be a success and that athlete feedback on anti-coronavirus measures has been positive.
Bach also said the board had proposed Brisbane as host of the 2032 Games after a commission recommended the Australian city in a new way of selecting a venue in February.
IOC members will now have the final decision with a vote on Brisbane hosting the Games at the IOC Session in Tokyo on July 21.
There has been criticism of the IOC’s new approach from other cities that were interested but Bach defended his organization. He said those that appear to have missed out on 2032 are now part of “a pool of parties” interested in hosting in 2036 and 2040.
He said Brisbane has emerged as the best choice because of a sustainable and feasible concept where costs are capped.
“It was about a sports-loving country. It was about great support from the public and all levels of government,” he added.
Changes agreed for Paris 2024 include the scrapping of the 50km walk in athletics and its replacement with a mixed team walk event.
