IOC President Thomas Bach cancels trip to Japan due to rising COVID-19 cases

IOC President Thomas Bach cancels trip to Japan due to rising COVID-19 cases

Thomas Bach

The President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach has decided that he would not travel to Japan to oversee the operations of the upcoming Tokyo Olympics due to the rise in the COVID-19 cases in the country. The IOC released a statement today confirming the same.

Bach was scheduled to visit the city of Hiroshima in order to watch the torch relay before traveling to Tokyo to supervise the preparations. However, the plans have now gone to waste and in all honesty, it could be seen coming as well. This is especially because the President of the organizing committee, Seiko Hashimoto stated earlier this week that Bach’s planned trip to Japan would be ‘tough to make’.

Emergency period in Tokyo could be a reason for cancellation of the trip by Thomas Bach

Tokyo Olympics
Tokyo Olympics

Apart from the rising number of COVID-19 cases, the imposition of a period of Emergency in Tokyo and other parts of Japan until May 31 could also be a reason. This emergency period ought to have ended this week, but it has now been extended due to the increase in the number of positive cases.

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Although Bach’s trip has been called off for now, it is believed that he will visit the country as soon as possible. The German has remained stubborn that the Games will take place as per the schedule despite the fact that there has been public unrest. This unrest has resulted in various online petitions being made for the Games to be cancelled and even protests being arranged on the same.

Politicians have also started to speak up as Yukio Edano, the head of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan spoke out and said, “I think it is possible that the measures our nation takes to protect human life and livelihoods simply will not make it possible to hold the Olympics. In that situation, the IOC and Tokyo city government will have to make a decision, and the government will back that.”

The Tokyo Olympics are scheduled to be held from July 23 to August 7.

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