MINSK, 5 January (BelTA) – The preparations for the 2020 Tokyo Games and the 2022 Beijing Games will be the priorities for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 2021, IOC President Thomas Bach said in his New Year's video message, BelTA learned from the press service of the National Olympic Committee.
Thomas Bach thanked the Japanese side for its determination to organize the Games in a safe and secure way for all the participants and to make the Olympic Games fit for the post-coronavirus world. “Tokyo is still the best prepared Olympic city ever. We all will live unforgettable Games,” he said.
Yoshiro Mori, chairman of the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee, said in an interview to Japanese media that the hosts of the Olympics will invite all world leaders to the upcoming sports festival.
The Beijing Winter Olympics will start six months after the postponed games in Tokyo. “We have to already start at the beginning of this year to prepare for the upcoming Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. And there, really all are on board. We see the same commitment and determination of our Chinese partners and friends, and all the Olympic venues are already ready for the best winter sports athletes of the world,” Thomas Bach said.
The IOC president also emphasized an increasing role of sport amid the pandemic and the success of a number of initiatives, including the “#StayStrong #StayActive #StayHealthy” campaign, and called for the solidarity of the sport and Olympic movement.
