COVID-19 won’t be a problem.
The President of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach thinks there will not be much of a COVID-19 problem at the Tokyo Olympics which starts on July 23rd, 2021. Bach thinks athletes can go to Japan even if they come from countries with a high rate of COVID-19. Bach runs a sports organization not a country, Bach is not a scientist who has spent years studying diseases and viruses. He has no power to impose curfews on countries whose leaders are fearing a widespread outbreak of COVID-19, nor has he been advising the United States. On Sunday White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows conceded that the United States has thrown in the towel in trying to contain COVID-19. There is a little less than nine months before the start of the Olympics event and various vaccines and treatments could be available to help stop the spread of the virus.
Bach explained that “athletes do not bear responsibility for the virus. If they test negative and follow the safety regulations, they should have the opportunity to participate. He added, “I also do not expect countries to opt out. All 206 National Olympic Committees affiliated with the IOC are determined and full of anticipation.” That is all well and good, but Bach is not making medical decisions in Japan. On March 17th, Bach said, “The I.O.C. remains fully committed to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, and with more than four months to go before the Games there is no need for any drastic decisions at this stage. Any speculation at this moment would be counterproductive. The I.O.C. encourages all athletes to continue to prepare for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 as best they can.” By March 24th, the event was pushed back a year. The Games did not go on.
