Tokyo Olympics Has Shown It's Possible To Keep COVID-19 Pandemic At Bay, Says International Olympic Committee Advisor

Brian McCloskey, chair of the Independent Expert Panel for the Olympics, stated that Tokyo 2020 has proven that it is possible to "keep the pandemic at bay". Basic anti-COVID-19 measures and a good testing scheme made a "safe and secure" Games possible, said Brian. "We have shown it is possible to keep the pandemic at bay. And that is a very important lesson from Tokyo to the rest of the world," McCloskey, a leading health adviser to the sporting event, said on Saturday during a press briefing as per Kyodo News.

The organising committee of the games has said over 600,000 tests have been carried out, with the cumulative total of those COVID-19 cases standing at 404 after another 22 people were added on Saturday.

As for the daily count, released on Saturday, no athletes tested positive for the second straight day. Of the 22 who tested positive, 13 are contractors, four are games-related officials, two are members of the media, two are employees of the organizing committee and one is a volunteer.

The total number of coronavirus cases in Japan has topped 1 million while the 17-day Olympics is nearing its close on Sunday.

"What is important is the core message from the (World Health Organization) and other agencies that the way you manage this pandemic is through basic public health measures and a good testing regime," McCloskey said.

"We've proved that works," he said, adding that collected data will be provided to the rest of the world to cope with the pandemic.

IOC President Thomas Bach on Friday also stated that the Olympic Community has been the best-tested community anywhere in the world during the last few weeks.