Swedish Olympic director about the outbreak: "Terrible"

The United States has won the most Olympic medals, both in total and in terms of gold, silver and bronze denominations throughout the games' 124-year history. But with one year left until the Olympics in Tokyo, the great nation is one of the hardest hit countries by the corona pandemic.

The Swedish Olympic Committee's (SOK) operations manager Peter Reinebo is worried about the development.

- The delay around the world in terms of the spread, and the effects of it, you really have to take it seriously. What is happening in the US now is really big problems, it is terrible, he says.

The global spread of the coronavirus, its impact on active training and competition, and the question of when a vaccine can begin mass production are some key questions about whether the Olympics and Paralympics can be held next summer or not.

- Of course, it will show in the coming year if it is possible from a health point of view. If it is not possible, there will be measures based on that and then I think that vaccine is an issue, but not the only one, says Reinebo.

An Olympics with or without spectators is another.

- I do not see an audience-free Olympics as an alternative, there are very many stakeholders in an Olympics. The 10,500 active people are of course the most important, we have the same number of leaders, media, all functionaries, all volunteers. In them alone, you have 100,000 people. They have to be in place for it to be an Olympics. If we talk about audiences, it may be a little different management: fewer, sparser and smarter placements.

On July 23, 2021, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) plans to light the Olympic flame at Japan's National Stadium in Tokyo. If the already advanced summer games, which should actually have been inaugurated this Friday, still cannot be carried out, there is a great risk that it will also affect the Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, 2022.

- If it is the case that Tokyo could not be implemented, then it is not so far away that Beijing would be postponed. The world situation at the turn of the year and the first quarter of 2021 will affect both Tokyo's implementation and Beijing's implementation. That way it is connected. But as it is right now, the IOC's focus is to carry out the postponed Tokyo Games and Beijing as planned, and that is what we are preparing for as well, says Peter Reinebo.