Ten days before the Olympic Games, the athletes’ village in Tokyo was officially opened. Thomas Bach, the International Olympic Committee IOC president, took the opportunity to commend the Japanese organizers for their “superb work” in the preparations.

“But much remains to be done. Our job is not finished until all athletes have left Tokyo.”

The Olympic Village, located on Tokyo Bay, will be home to approximately 18,000 athletes and officials. The complex consists of 21 buildings on 44 hectares of land.

The opening of the Olympic village took place soberly a day after the emergency re-enforced in Tokyo due to the advancing coronavirus. “The circumstances are difficult, but Japan can be proud of what has been achieved,” argued Bach. “Japanese citizens can rest assured that the Games will be safe for everyone thanks to the strict measures.”

Bach first spent three days in quarantine on arrival in Tokyo. He appeared in public together for the first time on Tuesday with Seiko Hashimoto, the chairman of the Japanese organizing committee. Both top officials sat with other officials at a distance from each other wearing face masks at tables separated by plexiglass walls.