The Tokyo Olympics will happen even if the city is placed under a national emergency due to COVID-19, a top Olympic official said on Friday, highlighting the obstacles that the pandemic-hit Games face.

At the close of a three-day virtual conference to review preparations, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) attempted to soothe anxieties in Japan that the Games would place a strain on a medical system already stressed by the epidemic.

In a boost for the Olympics, which have been delayed by a year owing to the COVID-19 epidemic, French President Emmanuel Macron, whose nation will host the 2024 Games, has declared that he will witness the opening ceremony in Tokyo.

The worldwide athletic event is experiencing growing public criticism, with over 70% of respondents in a business survey issued on Friday requesting a cancellation or additional postponement.

When asked if the Olympics would take place even if Tokyo announced a state of emergency, IOC Vice President John Coates, who supervises preparations, responded, "Absolutely yes."

“All of the preparations we already had in place to ensure the safety and security of the athletes and the residents of Japan are built on the worst-case scenario,” he continued.

Coates, who appeared at a press conference following the meeting, stated that more than 80% of Olympic Village inhabitants will be vaccinated before the Games begin on July 23.

He also stated that more medical staff will be included in foreign Olympic teams to assist with medical procedures and the execution of COVID-19 defensive measures at the Games. As per Reuters' worldwide tracker, Japan has vaccinated only 4.1 % of its people, the lowest percentage among the world's wealthiest countries, and only around half of its medical personnel has received their immunizations.

In contrary to several other Group of Seven (G7) countries, which are starting to lift pandemic-fighting restrictions, much of Japan is underneath emergency restrictions in the face of the fourth wave of illness.

Coates expressed optimism that as more people become immunized, public acceptability of the Games will increase.

“But if it doesn't, our attitude is that we simply have to go on with our work.” “It is our responsibility to guarantee that the Games are secure for all players and the residents of Japan,” he added.

To reduce the danger of infection, organizers have reduced the number of individuals traveling to the Olympics as part of international groups from about 180,000 to 78,000, as per Seiko Hashimoto, the head of the planning committee.

She stated that the Olympics would depend on 230 physicians and 300 nurses each day, that 50,000-60,000 coronavirus tests will be performed daily, and that the organizers had secured almost 80% of the medical manpower required.

“We would like to ensure we protect medical staff in a manner that does not put a strain on local medical services,” Hashimoto explained.

Due to coronavirus concerns, the Canadian swimming team has become the latest group to withdraw from a pre-Olympic training camp in Japan before the Games.

Arrangements for 50 training camps in Japan have been canceled, with the bulk of them owing to pandemic worries, as Tokyo and other major cities remain in a national emergency aimed at controlling a fourth wave of illness. The Canadian team of approximately 60 swimmers and coaches were expected to stay in Toyota, approximately 250 km (155 miles) west of Tokyo, from July 9 to July 30, as per Kyodo on Friday.

“We would no longer perform our holding camp at Toyota City and Chukyo University and will instead travel right into the Olympic Games village,” High-Performance Director John Atkinson stated on Swimming Canada's website.

He noted that Canada had chosen Toyota as a training camp for the 2019 World Championships in Gwangju, South Korea, and that the squad had been looking forward to using the world-class amenities.

“Considering the circumstances of this year and the COVID-19 scenario in Japan, this approach is now in the best interests of all concerned parties.”