Bach, IOC President, Arrives in Japan Today... Possibility of No-Audience Olympics Decision at Five-Party Meeting

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

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), will visit Japan through Haneda Airport on the 8th, about two weeks before the opening of the Tokyo Olympics. Amid the severe spread of COVID-19, it is expected that the decision on whether to hold the Olympics without spectators will be officially made through a five-party consultation including the IOC on that day.

According to Kyodo News on the 8th, the Japanese government has solidified its plan to reissue a COVID-19 state of emergency in Tokyo, increasing the likelihood that the Tokyo Olympics will be held without spectators.

The Japanese government, Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Organizing Committee, IOC, and International Paralympic Committee (IPC) are expected to hold a five-party consultation in the afternoon and officially decide on holding the games without spectators.

President Bach is expected to attend the five-party consultation online as he must self-quarantine in a hotel for three days after arriving in Japan.

Although there was a possibility that the five-party consultation would be held on the 9th, Kyodo News reported that coordination among related agencies has been made to hold it on the 8th as originally planned.

Previously, at the five-party consultation held online on the 21st of last month, an agreement was reached to allow spectators up to 50% of the venue capacity, with a maximum of 10,000 people. However, as COVID-19 spread in Tokyo, the host city of the Olympics, the option of holding the games without spectators has emerged.

The Japanese government is known to hold a COVID-19 countermeasures headquarters meeting in the afternoon on the 8th and issue the fourth state of emergency in Tokyo.

Meanwhile, after his quarantine is lifted, President Bach plans to visit the Olympic Village and related facilities in Harumi, Tokyo, to directly inspect the preparations for the Tokyo Olympics, which open on the 23rd.

On the 16th, he is also expected to visit Hiroshima, the site of the atomic bombing, to deliver a peace message.

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