Athletes who arrive in Japan to participate in the Tokyo Olympics will not have to isolate for the required 14 days after arrival, Olympic organisers said on Thursday.
The 2020 Games were delayed by a year to 2021 IOCdue to the novel coronavirus pandemic, a costly postponement that still has many moving parts given the continued spread of the virus.
On Wednesday, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach said he would be in Tokyo for three days next week to review preparations for the postponed 2020 Olympics and back organisers amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
Bach told a news conference he would be in Tokyo between Nov 15-18 but did not provide details on possible meetings with government officials or Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.
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“It (the trip) is important because we are now coming to a crucial stage of putting this toolbox together with Covid-19 counter-measures to get the feeling what will be needed next year,” he said.
“I hope after this visit we can give even more confidence to all the participants of the Games about the safe environment they will see in about nine months from now.”
The IOC and Japanese organisers took the unprecedented decision in March to delay the Games by a year to 2021 due to the pandemic, a costly postponement that still has many moving parts given the spread of the virus.
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