Tokyo 2020: Uncertainty persists over Olympics and Paralympics as IOC meets

There are other reasons for hope. Japan’s daily Covid-19 cases have dropped slightly in recent days. Sports events are not behind closed doors. More than 10,000 fans were present at the Emperor’s Cup final in Tokyo earlier this month.

If they happen, the Games will look very different to what we are used to. Athletes will be tested regularly, including before they board the plane to Japan. Their movements will be strictly regulated, their time in the village limited. There may only be Japanese fans, with those at venues asked not to shout.

Indeed Bach himself has conceded there may be no fans, with all the financial implications that would have for the hosts and for the atmosphere.

But as Lord Coe said last week, even if the action is behind closed doors and just televised, many would prefer that to no Games at all.

What is certain is that at a time when their training has already been disrupted, with the closure of facilities, travel restrictions and the cancellation of events playing havoc with preparations, the challenge facing athletes is only made greater by the constant conjecture surrounding Tokyo.

The British Athletes Commission has warned of the anxiety many of its members are now suffering from, telling organisers they “cannot lose sight of the effect that the current climate of speculation is having… accurate and timely communication over this critical period is required to best support the mental health of all those working towards the Games.”

With less than two months now until a torch relay involving 10,000 runners is due to start, and with a decision on whether the Games will have to be staged behind closed doors looming, the pressure is only intensifying on the organisers.

They have to explain how they intend to stage a safe and secure mega-event in the middle of the most precarious and unpredictable time most of us can recall. And to prove that unlike last year, they can deliver on their statements of confidence.