IOA confident that Tokyo will host 'best ever Games'

In its statement to mark one year to go for the postponed Games, IOA Secretary General Rajeev Mehta said that the coronavirus pandemic has thrown new challenges around the world.

"There are some drawbacks but there are many benefits too in this one-year period. Our National Sports Federations (NSFs) are taking precautionary measures to ensure the welfare of the athletes and officials whilst staying optimistically focused on the Olympic Games. There is a long road ahead of us," said Mehta.

"We are confident that the IOC (International Olympic Committee), its associates and our friends in Tokyo would be hosting the best ever Games in the history of the Olympic movement one year from now."

Originally scheduled to be held from July 24 to August 9 this year, the Tokyo Olympics was postponed in an unprecedented move due to the outbreak of coronavirus in mid-March.

The Games are now scheduled to be held from July 23 to August 8 in 2021, but a number of health experts have expressed doubts over whether the situation around the pandemic will be stable enough for the Games to go ahead.

Earlier, Tokyo 2020 President Yoshiro Mori admitted that it won't be possible to host the Games next year if the current situation around the coronavirus pandemic prevails in the Japanese capital.

He also said that whether the Games will take place will depend upon the availability of a vaccine for Covid-19.