Despite worldwide concern and speculation about whether the fast-spreading virus outbreak will affect the Tokyo Olympics, the IOC’s leadership is not joining in the debate.
“Neither the word cancellation nor the word postponement was even mentioned,” International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach told a news conference today about the second day of executive board meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Bach sought to project calm assurance after holding a conference call with local organisers. In Tokyo, officials then briefed local media, some of whom wore protective masks.
Asked how he could be so confident the July 24-August 9 Olympics will go ahead as scheduled, Bach replied: “Because we talk to the experts.”
“We are a sports organisation and we follow the advice of the World Health Organization,” Bach said, referring to the United Nations agency based around 60 kilometers (40 miles) away in Geneva.
The coronoavirus that emerged in China late last year had infected more than 90,000 people globally by today and caused over 3,100 deaths. Serious outbreaks have been experienced in Iran and Italy.
Federal authorities in the IOC’s home country Switzerland, which shares a border with Italy, have banned public gatherings of 1,000 people until mid-March to help contain the virus spreading.
Around 100 people were in a conference room at IOC headquarters to hear Bach use broadly similar answers to bat away virus questions from different angles.
“I will not add fuel to the flame of speculation,” Bach said when asked about deadline for deciding whether to postpone the Tokyo Games.
Asked if the WHO declaring a pandemic would change the IOC’s position, Bach said: “I will not take part in any way of such kind of mere speculations.”
Bach said he took confidence from having met the WHO’s director general and other leading officials last week. A task force of officials from the WHO, IOC and Japanese sports and public officials has also been working together for around three weeks.
The virus has affected qualifying competitions for many of the 33 sports on Tokyo’s medal program, which some postponed, venues changed, and travel issues for athletes from China and elsewhere.
“This is challenging, yes,” Bach acknowledged, “but I must also say I’m pretty proud of the Olympic movement, for the great solidarity and flexibility everybody has shown so far.