Despite facing massive public opposition, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has said that it supports Japanese measures to counter the Covid-19 pandemic and was confident the Tokyo Olympics would be a “historic” event.
Notably, just less than three months to go for the showpiece event, which is slated to begin on July 23, Japan is witnessing a spike in coronavirus infections and so, a majority of its population wants the Olympics cancelled or postponed for a second time.
“We are now very much in an implementation phase with 78 days to go and fully concentrated on delivering the Games,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams told an online news conference.
“When the Games happen and the Japanese people are proud hosts of an event that will be a historic moment, I think I am very confident we will see public opinion hugely in favour of the Games,” he added.
Adams online news conference, however, saw a protester, who had came as a journalist, unfurling a banner reading “No to Olympics”.
Significantly, Japan has extended a state of emergency in Tokyo and three other areas until the end of May which had recently forced IOC President Thomas Bach to postpone a visit to the host nation.