International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said Wednesday that his body does not want to hold an Olympic Games behind closed doors.
The question was raised about the Tokyo Olympics, which have been postponed from their original start date of July 24, 2020 to July 23, 2021, on account of the coronavirus pandemic.
Bach said that although all different kinds of countermeasures to ensure the safety and health of participants at the Tokyo Olympics are being considered, the IOC is opposed to having competitions without fans.
"The Olympic Games behind closed doors is clearly something we don't want," Bach said. "So we are working for a solution for the Olympic Games which on the one hand is safeguarding the health of all the participants, and on the other hand is also reflecting the Olympic spirit."
The executive board met to prepare for the 136th IOC session to be held on Friday and heard status reports from the coordination commissions for the Tokyo Games, the 2024 Winter Olympics and also the 2022 Youth Olympics in Dakar, which have now been postponed to 2026 through a mutual agreement between host Senegal and the IOC.
"This is very good work in progress," Bach said of the Tokyo coordination commission's briefing, adding that the Tokyo organizers and the coordination commission, headed by Australian John Coates will give a full report on Friday.