BERLIN - International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach
has rejected claims that the IOC was too hesitant in its
decision-making to postpone the 2020 Summer Games due to the
coronavirus pandemic.
Bach told the German Sunday newspaper Welt am Sonntag that he could
understand why some people felt this way.
"But as someone who is responsible, you cannot make decisions based
on gut instinct," Bach asserted. He said the "long-term survival of
the Olympic Games and the cultural heritage of the Olympic Games"
were at stake.
The only short-term decision that might have been possible was to
cancel the games outright, the 66-year-old added. However, none of
the athletes' representatives from around the world supported such a
step in joint telephone conferences, Bach added.
On March 24, the IOC announced that the Olympics would be cancelled
this summer due to the rapid spread of the coronavirus. A little
later it was decided to postpone the games by almost exactly one
year.
Completely cancelling the Games was never an option, Bach insisted.
"In order to counter conspiracy theories, it must be said clearly
that the IOC was insured against a cancellation, but not insured in
the case of a postponement," the former fencer told the paper.
"For a postponement, however, the approval of the organizing
committee, which must be willing to work a year longer, is required,
and the Japanese government must be willing to continue to support
the preparations," Bach added.