IOC president Bach wants 'simplified' Olympics amid COVID-19 in Japan

After Japan postponed the Olympics due to the coronavirus pandemic, Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee(IOC) said that he was looking at ways to "simplify the organisation of the Games".

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The Olympic Games were due to begin in July but were postponed until 2021 as the pandemic began to affect Japan and top athletes began to feel uncomfortable. It is the first time the Games were postponed since World War II.

The Games are now due to start on July 23, 2021. Bach however said there was "no timeline or deadline" for the Games, since  "issues evolve by the day, sometimes by the hour".

The Olympic president said the committee was looking at "reducing the complexity of the games" in order to save costs for Japan which has been hit by coroanvirus with the country slipping into a recession for the first time since 2015.

The country's MPs passed a budget few days back worth nearly $300 billion handing out subsidies for small businesses and cash for medical workers as the nation continued to grapple with the virus.

Japan had recently ordered easing of the lockdown but PM Shinzo Abe cautioned against rise in cases with capital Tokyo the epicenter of the virus.

Yoshiro Mori, president of the Tokyo organising committee backed calls by the IOC chief, saying: "Olympic Games used to be conducted in extravagance and splendour. But the point is that in the face of COVID-19, would that kind of Games be accepted?"

IOC's Sports Director, Christophe Dubi, said that "sometimes we overplan and underconsume" asserting that ,"We will not let any stone unturned. The result will be positive."