Even if the city and other parts of Japan were under a state of emergency due to rising Covid-19 incidents, the IOC vice president in charge of the postponed Tokyo Olympics said the games would open in just over two months.

Even if local medical experts cautioned against keeping the Olympics, John Coates, speaking from Australia on Friday in a virtual news conference with Tokyo organisers at the end of three days of meetings, said this would be the case.

“All of the steps we have outlined, all of those measures that we are implementing are satisfactory and will ensure a healthy and stable games in terms of health,” Coates said, citing WHO (World Health Organization) and other science and medical advice. “This is so whether or not there is a state of emergency.”

Japan's public opinion has been split between 60 and 80 percent in favor of holding the Olympics on July 23, depending on how the issue is phrased. If more Japanese people are completely vaccinated, Coates believes public sentiment will change. The percentage is now about 2%.

“If it doesn't, then our situation is that we have to get on with our job,” Coates explained. “So it is our responsibility to ensure that these games are safe for all players and all Japanese citizens.”

Officials from the International Olympic Committee state that more than 80% of the inhabitants of the Olympic Village, which is located on Tokyo Bay, will be vaccinated and will be cut off from the general public. There are supposed to be about 11,000 Olympic and 4,400 Paralympic competitors in attendance.

According to Coates, qualifying events will account for around 80% of Olympic slots, with rankings accounting for 20%.

Coates made it clear that the International Olympic Committee, headquartered in Switzerland, hopes the Tokyo Games will take place. The IOC earns about 75% of its revenue from the sale of broadcast rights, which is a major motivator for them to keep going.

In addition, Tokyo has reportedly spent $15.4 billion on the Olympics, though government audits indicate that the true cost is even higher.

Tokyo, Osaka, and a number of other prefectures are currently in emergency condition, and healthcare services are overburdened. The emergency measures are set to expire on May 31, but they will almost certainly be extended.

“I hope the government has the wisdom not to terminate the emergency at the end of May if the current situation persists,” Haruo Ozaki, president of the Tokyo Medical Association, told the weekly magazine Aera.

Ozaki has repeatedly stated that government efforts to stem the spread of Covid-19 have been ineffective. About 12,000 people have died in Japan as a result of the outbreak, which is made worse by the fact that very few people have been completely vaccinated.

If the emergency conditions are not extended, the virus and infectious variants can spread rapidly, according to Ozaki.

“There would be a massive epidemic if that happens, and it is likely that keeping the games will become hopeless,” he said.

Richard Pound, the IOC's most senior member, told Japan's JiJi Press that the final deadline to cancel the Olympics was only a month away.

“You just need to hear, yes or no, before the end of June,” Pound was quoted as saying by JiJi.

Pound reiterated, as did the IOC, that if the games cannot be held now, they will be canceled, not rescheduled.

President of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, will now arrive in Tokyo on July 12th. Because of the increasing number of Covid-19 incidents, he had to cancel a trip to Japan this month.