IOC president Bach meets with Tokyo governor Koike as Olympic opening nears

IOC president Thomas Bach met with Tokyo governor Yuike Koike on Thursday, eight days before the Summer Olympics are set to open in the Japanese capital.

On the third straight day of meetings with Japanese leaders and Olympics organisers, Bach sought to reassure Japan that rules were being followed and that all safety precautions were being taken.

Bach visited the Athlete's Village earlier on Thursday before meeting Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike.

Tokyo imposed a state of emergency earlier this week, and will be in effect throughout the entire duration of the Olympics, which open on July 23 and close on Aug. 8.

Its main impact is to push bars and restaurants to close early and stop selling alcohol, a move aimed at cutting down circulation on crowded trains.

Organizers and the IOC decided last week to ban fans from all but a handful of outlying venues, a move that came after the Japanese government instituted a state of emergency in Tokyo forced by rising coronavirus cases.

Bach met with Tokyo 2020 President Seiko Hashimoto on Tuesday and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Wednesday.

The pandemic-postponed Olympics open in 8 days.