(Photo: AFP-Yonhap News)
The head of the International Olympic Committee says most athletes and national team members staying at the Tokyo Olympic village will be vaccinated against COVID-19 by the Games, which are set to get under way in less than 10 weeks.
In a meeting with organizers and Japanese officials via video call Wednesday, President Thomas Bach said "the Olympic village is a safe
Place" and the postponed event "will be organized in a safe way."
"At this moment, already as many as 75 percent of the residents of the Olympic village are already vaccinated or have secured vaccination in time before the Olympic Games," Bach added.
And he said IOC officials "have good reasons to believe that this figure will be well above 80 percent" by the time the Games begin on July 23.
The remarks came as a state of emergency remains in place in nine prefectures across the country, including Tokyo and Osaka, amid a recent spike in infections.
Bach was forced to scrap a visit to the Japanese capital this week due to the restrictions.
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