International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach says the IOC is fully committed to the Tokyo Olympics going ahead on schedule despite the threat of a further spread of coronavirus.

Japan’s Kyodo news agency said that Bach told Japanese media on Thursday that the IOC “is fully committed to a successful Olympic Games in Tokyo starting July 24.”

On Canadian IOC member Dick Pound’s recent remarks suggesting that there was a three-month window to decide the fate of the Games, Bach simply said, “I’ll not add fuel to the flames of speculation.”

Kyodo went on to quote Bach, “[The priority] is to ensure the qualification procedure and protecting the safety of athletes at the same time. This is what we’re doing in cooperation with the Japanese authorities, the World Health Organization, the Chinese Olympic Committee and many NOCs.”

He added, “For the IOC, it’s true what we’ve been saying all the time that the preparations for Tokyo 2020 are continuing with a view to having a successful Olympic Games this summer in Tokyo.”