Organizers say Tokyo Olympics will go ahead
Try easier levels of this lesson: Tokyo Olympics - Level 4 or Tokyo Olympics - Level 5.
The reading
Will they or won't they? There has been much speculation recently about whether or not the Tokyo Olympics would take place in July. On Wednesday, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach vowed that the event would go ahead. He said: "Our task is to organize the Olympic Games and not to cancel them." He added that the IOC is working "day and night" to host a safe event. IOC spokesperson Dick Pound said he was "confident" the Games would go ahead, saying: "I think unless some drastic changes occur, this is a manageable proposition and I hope that we're able to pull it off." He added: "There are no certainties in life and what might happen with the virus."
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The Games are due to open on the 23rd of July. It is a logistical nightmare for authorities, who have to secure the safety of 11,000 athletes, the world's media and spectators. More than 25,000 journalists attended the Rio de Janeiro Games in 2016. Tokyo is currently under a state of emergency amid a third wave of infections. Officials are hopeful warmer weather and a vaccine rollout will see safer conditions. Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is adamant that the Games will take place. However, an anti-Olympics group in Tokyo said: "The government is obsessed with hosting the Olympics. It's becoming clear during this coronavirus disaster that the Olympics would sacrifice people's lives."
Sources:
- https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/27/asia/tokyo-olympics-logistics-intl-hnk-dst/index.html
- https://www.reuters.com/article/us-olympics-insurance-idUSKBN29W1OL
- https://apnews.com/article/yoshihide-suga-thomas-bach-tokyo-sports-asia-coronavirus-pandemic-6f9df2d9985d9ec9167cb615c84d3ac9
