File photo shows International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach. (Kyodo)

GENEVA – International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said Tuesday the recent staging of various sporting events across the world despite restrictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic should provide “confidence” in preparing for the Tokyo Games next summer.

In a message titled “Olympism and Corona” II, Bach wrote sport is “widely recognized as an essential factor in fighting the pandemic” and “accepted as an integral part of the solution for the crisis recovery.”

Bach also said the development of rapid tests for the virus and positive signs from the scientific and medical community on the potential availability of approved vaccines, possibly before the end of this year, will further boost the chances of hosting the games.

He added that “there are good reasons for cautious optimism” given that recent sporting events have successfully been held even without such vaccines being available.