Bach IOC President's Controversial Remarks: "Sacrifices Must Be Made to Host Tokyo Olympics"

▲Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] As the COVID-19 crisis worsens, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) leadership's repeated remarks emphasizing the insistence on holding the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games have sparked growing controversy.

On the 24th, Kyodo News, citing India's PTI News Agency, reported that IOC President Thomas Bach said, "We must make sacrifices to realize the hosting of the Tokyo Olympics."

This remark by President Bach was made during a greeting at the International Hockey Federation's online general meeting held on the 22nd.

Kyodo News pointed out, "It is unclear whether the 'we' mentioned by President Bach includes Japanese people, but the word 'sacrifice' is likely to provoke backlash as it does not consider the sentiments of the Japanese public."

John Coates, IOC Vice President and Coordination Commission Chair overseeing the Tokyo Olympics preparations, also stated at a press conference on the 21st, when asked whether the Olympics could be held under the COVID-19 state of emergency, "We successfully conducted test events," adding, "My answer is absolutely yes."

The Japanese government has declared a state of emergency to curb the spread of COVID-19 in Tokyo, the host city of the Olympics, as well as in 10 other prefectures.

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

Amid this, Coates' remarks drew criticism for seemingly disregarding the will of the Japanese people and insisting on proceeding with the Olympics despite rising public opposition due to COVID-19.

Earlier, an Asahi Shimbun public opinion poll conducted on the 15th and 16th targeting Japanese voters aged 18 and over showed that 83% believed the Olympics should be canceled or postponed again.

Additionally, a Mainichi Shimbun poll conducted on the 22nd found that 40% of respondents thought the Games should be canceled, and 23% believed they should be postponed again.

This indicates that an overwhelming majority of the Japanese public opposes holding the Olympics amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, the Japanese government and Tokyo Metropolitan Government maintain their stance to hold the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games as scheduled in about two months, and the IOC also upholds the same position.

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

Kyodo News noted that President Bach's 'sacrifice' remark came amid the controversy over Coates' insistence on holding the Games during the state of emergency, pointing out that the IOC leadership is making statements that do not consider the feelings of the Japanese people.

Earlier in March, President Bach was also criticized for stating in a press release after the Japanese government and the organizing committee decided not to allow overseas spectators, "Everyone must make sacrifices."

Regarding this, Yukio Edano, leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party, criticized the IOC leadership's awareness during an online event of the Toyama Prefecture district party meeting on the 23rd, saying, "No one has an obligation to cooperate with the Olympics at the cost of sacrificing lives," Kyodo News reported.

Meanwhile, online, many criticized President Bach's 'sacrifice' remark, stating, "The Olympics are not an event to be held at the expense of the Japanese people's sacrifices," and called on the Japanese government to clearly state its position on Bach's problematic comments.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.