IOC President Thomas Bach has arrived in Japan with just over two weeks to go until the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.
President Bach flew to Tokyo on a scheduled flight from Frankfurt, Germany, fully vaccinated and, just like all Games participants, he will follow the Playbook guidelines to ensure that the Games are safe and secure this summer.
As per the rules, President Bach took the obligatory COVID-19 test at Haneda Airport and waited there for his negative test result before travelling to his hotel.
On his arrival, President Bach said: “Finally, we are here. This is the moment we have been longing for, for such a long time. Now I feel like an athlete in the call room.”
He went on to speak about the challenges of hosting the postponed Olympic Games.
He said: “Certainly the challenges are unprecedented, but also the opportunities are unprecedented. The first priority is to make these Games safe for everybody, and there we are on the right track. We know this from all the measures and all the experts’ advice we have been getting.
“And then it's the moment for the athletes to shine and this will be a very special moment under these circumstances, to get all the world together and send this message from Japan to the world.”
Henceforth, the IOC President will work remotely only. His official programme of in-person and remote meetings with arriving delegations, Games stakeholders and the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee will then commence on 12 July. His destinations are registered, and his activities will be conducted in accordance with the strict rules set out in the Playbooks.
A visit to Hiroshima on 16 July to mark the start of the Olympic Truce is being arranged for President Bach. On the same day, John Coates, Chair of the IOC Coordination Commission, will visit Nagasaki.
The IOC Executive Board meeting will then take place in Tokyo on 17 and 18 July, followed by the 138th IOC Session on 20 July.
The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 will take place from July 23 to August 8 2021 and the Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 from August 24 to September 5 2021.
Full details of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 Playbooks can be found HERE
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