Athlete’s Village must be the safest place in Tokyo next year, says IOC official


Athlete’s Village must be the safest place in Tokyo next year, says IOC official
Tokyo Olympics

IOC president Thomas Bach and other officials have been in Tokyo to show support as the organisers arrange the Games amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The Olympics were postponed earlier in March and are slated to begin on July 23, 2021.

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Over 11,000 athletes from around the world are expected to descend to the Japanese capital. Also, a thousand more for the subsequent Paralympics. The majority will stay at the Athlete’s Village. John Coates, an IOC official accompanying Bach said that the number of athletes won’t be reduced and it was up to the organizers to make them feel safe.

We have to make sure that the Olympic Village is… the safest place in Tokyo,” the head of the IOC Coordination Committee for Tokyo Games said. “The athletes have to have confidence in the safety of that,” he added.

“The period of staying longer, in a (Athlete’s) village, increases the potential for problems,” says John Coates

Tokyo Athlete's Village bedroom
Tokyo Athlete’s Village bedroom

The 2021 Olympics would be very different than any other previous Games. Despite the postponement, the dreaded pandemic is still posing hurdles in the manner in which the Games would be conducted. In line with protocols and holding a safe tournament, the rules this year might be a break from tradition.

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John Coates said that the athletes won’t be allowed to stay at the Village for the duration of the Games. “The athletes, once their competition finishes, will have one day, two days and then they will go home,” the Australian said.

The period of staying longer, in a village, increases the potential for problems,” he added.

Coates said that the IOC athlete’s commission had given their full support to the organizers. The organizers didn’t finalize any concrete COVID-19 countermeasures and did not say whether spectators would be allowed in the venues or not. Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto said that more policies would be finalized in time for the organising committee’s budget announcement next month.

Also Read: Tokyo Olympics: IOC president Thomas Bach gets first glimpse of Athletes Village

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