IOC expects international spectators at 2021 Olympics: Bach

IOC president specified that it is yet to be decided if the stadiums can be filled up to its full capacities or if social distancing norms will stand during the Olympics

Lausanne: The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is working towards the 2021 Tokyo Olympics on the assumption that there will be international spectators, president Thomas Bach said on Wednesday.

“We are working on the basis of course there will be international spectators,” Bach told media in a conference call at the end of the IOC’s executive board meeting on Wednesday.

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He, however, specified that it is yet to be decided if the stadiums can be filled up to its full capacities or if social distancing norms will stand during the Olympics, which is set to start on July 23 next year.

“What we do not know is if we can fill stadia to full capacity or if other measures would have to be applied. We saw a very encouraging start in some of the leagues in Japan in the past couple of weeks with a good number of spectators,” Bach said.

“We have to see again with the additional tools at our disposal next year how we can fill the stadia and how much we can fill them.”