World Athletics President Sebastian Coe has said he has seen cast-iron determination in the organisers to stage the Olympic Games in Tokyo next year.
Originally scheduled to be held from July 24 to August 9 this year, the Tokyo Olympics was in March postponed to 2021 following the outbreak of coronavirus. It is now set to be held from July 23 to August 8 next year.
“There probably will be greater adaptation, they probably will demand more from your teams than we have seen at an Olympic Games before, but please reassure your athletes as they enter preparation stages that there is a determination to stage the Olympic Games in Tokyo,” Coe, who led a delegation of World Athletics to Tokyo recently, said on Sunday while addressing the valedictory session of the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) via video conferencing from London.
During his address, Coe said that despite huge uncertainties, World Athletics had done well in the traumatic months in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. “World Athletics has made some brave decisions in facing many challenges,” he concluded.