IOC President Downplays Tokyo 2020 Challenges

(ATR) Thomas Bach tells Around the Rings he’s not unduly worried about Tokyo’s Olympic preparations, despite a raft of concerns aired by summer federations.

At the ASOIF general assembly in Bangkok on Tuesday, around 10 federations raised issues linked to the delivery of their sports at the Games – including sailing, golf, baseball-softball and triathlon.

The Q&A session with Tokyo 2020 organizers, who had presented an update to the ASOIF delegates, had some echoes of the SportAccord session in Belek four years ago when the summer IFs were fiercely critical of Rio 2016 at a joint meeting with the IOC.

But Bach said he was reassured following Wednesday’s joint meeting of the IOC and ASOIF’s 33 member sports.

"The federations were very constructive so I don’t have any concerns because I am sure that Tokyo 2020 will address these issues," he told ATR, hours before heading to India with an IOC delegation.

He arrives in Delhi today where he will meet the sports minister, NOC leaders and athletes. Bach’s India tour also takes in Mumbai before heading home.

World Sailing was by far the most vocal of the IFs in Tuesday’s tense ASOIF session with Tokyo 2020.

World Sailing CEO Andy Hunt told delegates that there were serious problems with the 1964 Games legacy venue of Enoshima Yacht Harbour.

"In terms of the normal planning cycle, we are probably a year behind having locked down decisions around various elements," he told Around the Rings, echoing comments he made at the conference.

He said there were problems with the course, no firm plans to procure sailing equipment and no conclusion to negotiations with fishing fleets to remove fishing nets which are in race areas. Lack of a security plan or a Japanese law to prevent boats going onto the course during the Games is also a concern.

"It is a lot of challenges. Although we have got a great national federation with a good heritage in sailing there’s relatively limited experience in international competition in Japan in our sport," he said.

Hunt added: "I’ve been countless times, I’ve spent weeks and weeks in Japan going through all these issues and trying to negotiate."

World Sailing met with IOC officials later on Tuesday on the sidelines of SportAccord to seek some answers.

In a statement sent to ATR, Tokyo 2020 said the meeting had been productive, with a close cooperation continuing to deliver a successful test event and the Olympic sailing competition in 2020.

Hunt later told ATR that the meeting with Tokyo was "very positive".

"I’m pretty confident that over the next few weeks we will get some of these issues resolved. It’s in everyone’s interests to get it done. Our first test event is in September so we have to move very quickly," he said.

Federation leaders for baseball/softball and triathlon also spoke up at the ASOIF assembly. Ongoing format concerns and difficulties in hosting games in Fukushima were voiced by the bat and ball sport, while water pollution was the main issue for the International Triathlon Union.

Commenting on some of the IFs’ concerns, Tokyo 2020 said it had previously held discussions with the IOC and ASOIF about the new test event approach labeled the ‘Tokyo 2020 Operational Readiness Program’ "with the aim of facilitating efficient and effective test event programs".

"The resulting new approach considers that the testing of field of play, technologies and workforces is an essential element of preparation for the Games, while it also emphasises the importance of addressing issues that are specific to each sport," a spokesman told ATR.

"Games-related costs are always public interests, and in this respect, optimization of the test event program is also an important agenda."

The spokesman added: "Tokyo 2020 will continue to work closely together with all IFs to address test event issues that they may have, in the process fully leveraging the new policy we have worked on together."

Reported by Mark Bissonin Bangkok.

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