translated from Spanish: WHO and the 2021 J.O.O.s: “We hope that Tokyo will be the place where humanity meets after succeeding in coVID”

The head of the World Health Organization acknowledged on Saturday that it will not be easy to get the Olympics, postponed for next year in Tokyo, a safe experience after the pandemic. At a joint press conference with the International Olympic Committee, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called for “national unity and global solidarity” to combat coronavirus before the Olympic Games that were to be postponed this year and would bring together athletes from 200 countries. The opening ceremony of the Games is now scheduled for July 23, 2021. The IOC and organizers in Japan addressed the WHO recommendation in March and agreed to the one-year postponement.” We hope that Tokyo will be the place where humanity meets after succeeding in COVID,” Tedros said at WHO headquarters. “It’s in our hands, but it won’t be easy. If we do our best, especially with national unity and global solidarity, I think it is possible.” Some 11,000 athletes would compete in the Japanese capital. The Games would also be attended by numerous coaches and attendees from the delegations, who would also stay in the Olympic village, a complex of 5,600 apartments off Tokyo Bay.Health experts, including in Japan, have asked how the Olympic Games, involving competitions in 33 different sports, can be held before a global and effective vaccination program has been implemented.” No one can, at this time, give a reliable answer about what the world will look like in July 2021,” IOC President Thomas Bach acknowledged. “It is too early to start speculating on different scenarios and what might be needed at that time to ensure a safe environment for all participants.” Tedros and Bach signed a renewed work agreement between the two organizations, which seeks to promote sport to governments as part of an active and healthy way of life.” The Olympics, athletics or football are not just for professional athletes,” Tedros said. “They have to be a culture for everyone and a responsibility of all.”

Original source in Spanish