International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach hasn't ruled out the prospect of athletes quarantining before next year's Tokyo Games.
Earlier this year, the IOC and Japanese government agreed to delay the Games, scheduled for July, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The decision to delay the Games cost the IOC US$800 million (NZ$1.33b), and this week, Japanese Olympic Minister Seiko Hashimoto said they must be held "at any cost" in 2021.
Bach says the IOC is committed to delivering a safe Games and has the full support of the Japanese Government, but plenty of planning lies ahead before the Olympics can be staged.
"In the coming weeks, you will see important and intensive discussions taking place with regard to different scenarios to COVID-19 countermeasures," says Bach. "We remain focused on delivering safe and successful Games next year.
"We don't know what the world looks like tomorrow, so you can't expect us to know what the world will look like 316 days from today.
"It requires sacrifices and compromises from all of us. If you need a quarantine to ensure a safe environment for all the participants of the Games, then you will need to go to quarantine.
"We have to prepare for many scenarios, not knowing what the environment will be. Social distancing is under consideration and there are many other questions.
"We are following closely the development of rapid testing - this could really facilitate the preparations. We are also informed on encouraging news on vaccines and all this will play a role, but they will not be a silver bullet."
Bach says, while several aspects of the Games' organisation, such as international spectators or qualifications processes, need to be finalised months in advance, no deadline has yet been set.
"At some stage before the Games, we will have to take these relevant decisions, but right now, I am not in a position to give you a concrete answer. We don't know how the world looks like tomorrow."
Qualification for the Games starts months before the event, while international travel for the Olympics is usually booked months or even years in advance.
"The situations are changing day by day when you look at different travel restrictions around the world," Bach says. "This is one of the examples, which has direct impact on our planning."
Newshub/Reuters
