John Coates vows the Olympics will go ahead in 2021

Australia’s vice president to the IOC says plans are in place for Tokyo Olympics to proceed if there is no vaccine for COVID-19.

Illuminated Olympic rings in front of the Rainbow Bridge and Tokyo Tower marking one year to go to the rescheduled games Picture: Getty Images

Olympics boss John Coates says the Tokyo Games will go ahead with or without a COVID-19 vaccine.

Coates, who is chairman of the Tokyo Co-ordination Committee and also the Australian Olympic Committee chief, says preparing these Games has been one of the most challenging experiences of his lifetime.

He has been working around the clock with International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach to ensure the Tokyo event goes ahead this time next year.

“We are going ahead on the basis there won’t be a vaccine,” Coates told The Australian.

“There seems to be some encouraging signs but again there is always the issue of the production of that and if it is going to be available, and to what nations.

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“Our planning is to go ahead with the Games under whatever scenario we have to face, which will become clearer at the end of the year.”

Coates, who was recently elected as the IOC’s vice president, said the toughest challenge was dealing with the unpredictable nature of the virus.

“The greatest challenge is the uncertainty,” Coates said.

“We don’t know where COVID-19 is going to be.

“We are making preparations on the basis COVID-19 will still be around, might be around in some form or won’t be around.

“We are looking at different scenarios.

“Then once we identify all the different scenarios that will be with us in a year’s time, we will look at the countermeasures that will need to be taken.

“That will be finalised later in the year when we have a better feeling of where we are at with COVID-19.”

The IOC and the Tokyo Organising committee have a joint task force, which involves the World Health Organisation and Japanese authorities, to work on ensuring the safety of those who attend the Games.

There is set to be 11,000 athletes in Tokyo, including 5000 technical officials and coaches, 20,000 media and 60,000 volunteers when the Games begin on July 23 next year. There are 4000 people working on the organising committee.

The IOC has had to negotiate with Olympic sponsors and broadcasters after they postponed the Games to 2021. The IOC has also put aside $US800 million to help the national Olympic committee and federations that might be struggling.

The Tokyo Organising Committee had to renegotiate venues for 2021, including the athlete’s village which had residents due to move in.

“That was a key, once you got the same venues, it means they could have the same competition schedule … then that means all those who bought tickets you can have a refund or you can carry the tickets forward,” Coates said.

“It’s 43 competition venues including the Olympic village and the International Broadcast Centre locked in for 2021.”

“They were big tasks.”

As well as the pandemic, there are other off-field issues to deal with.

The rise of the BLM movement following the death of George Floyd has led to a push for competitors to be allowed to freely express their views at the Olympics without repercussion.

In accordance with rule 50 of the Olympic Charter, demonstrations are currently prohibited at the Olympics and the penalties can be severe, including bans and being stripped of medals.

“The IOC Athletes’ Commission said: ‘well look, we feel the play on the podium should be preserved but we remind everyone there is nothing to say you can’t get your message out on ­social media or at press conferences during the Games’,” Coates said.