Veteran International Olympic Committee member Dick Pound on Wednesday reaffirmed his belief the Tokyo Games will happen this summer despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, saying the Olympics can go ahead without fans in attendance.

"The question is, is this a 'must-have' or 'nice-to-have,'" Pound told Kyodo News. "It's nice to have spectators. But it's not a must-have.

"Nobody can guarantee (that the Olympics will go ahead as planned). But I think there's a very, very, good chance that they can, and that they will," he said.