International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach on Wednesday reiterated the full commitment of the IOC and Japanese organizers to stage the Tokyo Olympics in summer amid the coronavirus, dpa news reports. "The question is not whether, but how these Olympic Games will take place," Bach insisted in his opening address at the virtual 137th IOC Congress where he is set for re-election later on Wednesday. "There is no doubt the opening ceremony will take place on July 23." There is widespread concern around the Games postponed from last year owing to the pandemic, with some 80 per cent of the Japanese believing the Games would be postponed again or cancelled - with Tokyo and surrounding areas still in a state of emergency. "We must always be guided by science and facts," Bach said, naming them the driving force for the playbooks developed for every stakeholder at the Games. Bach highlighted that some 270 World Cup events or world championships have been held since September, with some 30,000 athletes overall and more than 200,000 coronavirus tests. "Not a single event turned into a virus spreader," Bach said. "That is obvious proof that an international event can be organized while safeguarding the health of everyone." The IOC president said that the Olympics were even better off than those events because vaccines are available now and being used. Bach praised the appointment of former Olympic Minister Seiko Hasimoto to president of the Tokyo organizing committee and also touched on the post-coronavirus world. "The coronavirus crisis has changed our world in profound ways," Bach said. "Nobody should even dream of going back to the way things were before." "We must look beyond the here and now," Bach said, naming the Olympic Agenda 2020+5 programme to be approved by the Session on Friday "our vision for this new world."