Coronavirus: Tokyo Olympic Games' fate in hands of powerful IOC boss Bach
Thomas Bach, the 66-year-old former Olympic fencing champion and president of the International Olympic Committee , has virtually complete control over the body and by far the biggest influence on whether the Games will go ahead or not.
The stakes are huge for Tokyo, which would foot the entire bill for losses under its contract with the IOC should the Olympics be scrapped or moved elsewhere. But they have a strong ally in Bach, who is known to stick to his guns in adversity. Bach has full control over the IOC executive board, which will make any final decision on the Tokyo Olympics.
Bach, who won fencing gold at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, took over the IOC in 2013 and has led it through whirlwind change to make the Games more attractive to cities and sponsors. Rarely showing emotion, Bach is a strategic planner and rapid implementer, with deep experience dating back to the first meeting of the IOC athletes commission in 1981.
Reuters could not reach Bach for comment on that or his role in determining the threat to the Games from the coronavirus.
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