Keep politics out of 2020 Tokyo Games, says IOC's Bach

Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Athletes Commission Chair and IOC member Kirsty Coventry attend a news conference in Lausanne, Switzerland. [Courtesy]

Politicians and athletes should keep politics out of this year’s Tokyo Olympic Games to protect the event’s neutrality and its status as a peaceful meeting place, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said on Thursday.

The Games have seen both political protests by athletes in the past as well as boycotts of nations and Bach said any infusion of politics into the Games in Tokyo starting on July 24 would not be welcome.