International Olympic Committee
Thomas Bach is reelected as president of the International Olympic Committee. The German lawyer was unopposed and won the vote 93-1, with four members abstaining.
Bach said Tokyo was "the best prepared Olympic city ever" and reiterated that the Games would open July 23.
He also signed future Olympic hosts Paris and Los Angeles, while Brisbane, Australia, is now being fast-tracked for 2032 -- a move aimed at avoiding expensive campaigns and allegations of vote-buying.
Australia has taken a considerable step towards hosting their third Olympics after Brisbane was named as the International Olympic Committee’s “preferred partner” to begin talks over hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2032.
Following the recommendation by its Future Host Commission, the IOC will start a targeted dialogue with the Brisbane 2032 Committee and the Australian Olympic Committee to discuss the city's potential to host the Olympic Games 2032.
Under the IOC’s revamped selection process, it is seen as the first major step towards the bid being rubber-stamped as Brisbane seeks to follow in the footsteps of Melbourne and Sydney in becoming an Olympic host city.
Yoshiro Mori, the head of the Tokyo Olympics organising committee, said last Wednesday that women talk too much and that meetings with many female board directors would "take a lot of time". Around 440 Games volunteers have quit in response to Mori's comments.
On Tuesday, the IOC added the remarks were "in contradiction" to its "commitments and the reforms of its Olympic Agenda 2020" - though it did not mention any further action against Mr Mori.
"Besides Mr Mori's apology, the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee also considers his comment to be inappropriate and has reaffirmed its commitment to gender equality," the IOC said.
World Uyghur Congress has urged the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on the matter of the evident crimes against humanity committed by China against the ethnic Uyghurs. They urge the IOC to reconsider holding the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing.
In a statement, the IOC said that China assured "that the principles of the Olympic Charter will be respected in the context of the Games" and that the IOC "must remain neutral on all global political issues".
China alleged the World Uyghur Congress to be affiliated with "terrorist organisations" in response to their demand.
Yuriko Koike, Tokyo’s governor, stated it might be necessary to a organise a “simplified” Olympics in 2021 due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
"We will move ahead with the items that should be streamlined and simplified,'' Koike said, without giving any additional details on the possible downsizing.
The Yomiuri newspaper reported that organisers are considering options as mandatory Covid-19 testing and having fewer spectators in the events.
It will be difficult for Tokyo to host the Olympic Games next year unless there is an effective vaccine against the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19, Yoshitake Yokokura, the head of the Japan Medical Association (JMA) said Tuesday.
Japan and the International Olympic Committee agreed to postpone the Tokyo Games until July 23, 2021, because of the coronavirus pandemic. Japan is under a month-long state of emergency amid a rapid increase of infections across the country.
The president of the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee Yoshiro Mori states there would be no more delays: “No, in that situation, it will be canceled,” he said. “In the past, when there were such problems, like wartime, it has been canceled. This time, we are fighting an invisible enemy.”.
After talks with IOC President Thomas Bach, the prime minister of Japan, Shinzō Abe announced the postponement of the Summer Olympic games to 2021.
According to IOC member Richard Pound the committee has decided to postpone the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games to 2021 and will announce its decision soon. Neither IOC nor the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee has announced a decision or replied to Pounds comment.