Olympic committee president says there's 'zero' risk of athletes infecting Japanese public

In June, Tokyo banned spectators from the Olympic Games, set to begin on July 23.

Published: July 15, 2021 7:48pm

Updated: July 15, 2021 8:39pm

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said Thursday there is no risk that athletes traveling to Japan for the Tokyo Olympics would infect Japanese residents with COVID-19.

"Risk for the other residents of Olympic village and risk for the Japanese people is zero," Bach said, according to The Hill.

Bach said of the more than 8,000 COVID-19 conducted on Olympic athletes, only three had come back positive.

The Tokyo Olympics was originally scheduled to take place in the summer of 2020, but was postponed due to COVID. The games will take place starting on July 23.

Last month, Tokyo Olympic officials announced spectators would not attend the games due to rising COVID cases in the country. On Wednesday, Tokyo entered its fourth state of emergency following 1,308 cases of the virus in the city, according to the Associated Press.