A vice-president of the International Olympic Committee says nothing can stop this summer's Games in Tokyo from going ahead.
Japan's extended the coronavirus state of emergency in its capital, and other regions in the country, until at least the end of the month.
It's just 76 days until the opening ceremony but John Coates is confident there will be no issues.
“No, there’s not," he told the AFP agency when asked if there was any chance the Games could be postponed.
“The prime minister of Japan said that to the president of the United States two or three weeks ago. He continues to say that to the IOC.
“We’re working with him (Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga) on all of the safety measures. It’s going ahead.”
This week Pfizer confirmed they'll be making vaccines available for all Olympians and Paralympics this summer and Coates says that's an important step.
“All of the precautions that we have been taking are aimed at the health of the athletes and the health of the people of Japan.
“We’ve put an amazing amount of work into the procedures that ensure the safety of the athletes through testing … boosted now by all athletes around the world now having access to the vaccine.”
But he also admitted that not having the Japanese public fully on board was a concern.
“I think there’s a correlation between the numbers who are concerned about their safety with the numbers who have been vaccinated in Japan.
“And the numbers vaccinated are very small, particularly among the elderly. So as the vaccine is rolled out in Japan, I think that will improve."
