If the Tokyo Olympics aren’t held next year, the event would have to be scrapped, said International Olympic Committee (IOC) chief Thomas Bach.

The Games were slated to start in July but the IOC and the Japanese Government took the decision to delay it due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.

The Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe stated that the event would have to be cancelled in 2021 as well unless the virus is contained and Bach stated that he completely understood Bach’s position.

COVID-19 has affected more than 17,000 Japanese citizens and has led to 797 deaths in the country, at last count.

“Quite frankly, I have some understanding for this, because you can’t forever employ 3000 or 5000 people in an organising committee,” Bach told the BBC.

“You can’t, every year, change the entire sports schedule worldwide of all the major federations. You can’t have athletes being in uncertainty,” he added.

Bach also stated that the IOC was committed to holding the Games next year even if it meant adding facilities to quarantine the athletes.

What could this mean for the Olympic Village, however?

“All these different scenarios are under consideration and this is why I’m saying it’s a mammoth task, because there are so many different options that it’s not easy to address them now. When we have a clear view on how the world will look on July 23, 2021, then (we will) take the appropriate decisions,” he added.