IOC chief says Tokyo Games will be cancelled if not held in 2021

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach said he understands why the rescheduled Tokyo 2020 Games would have to be cancelled if they cannot take place next summer.

"You cannot forever employ 3,000 or 5,000 people in an organizing committee," Bach said in a wide-ranging interview with BBC Sport on Wednesday.

"You cannot every year change the entire sports schedule worldwide of all the major federations. You cannot have the athletes being in uncertainty."

According to Bach, Japan's Prime Minister has made it very clear to him that "Japan could not manage a postponement beyond next summer at the latest." And for that, Bach said he had some understanding.

"You cannot have so much overlapping with a future Olympic Games, so I have some understanding for this approach by our Japanese partners."

(CGTN)