IOC President Thomas Bach said that the IOC "is still concerned about the water pollution in Rio de Janeiro barely one year before it hosts the Olympic Games," according to Brian Homewood of REUTERS. Rio de Janeiro "had originally pledged to reduce pollution in the notoriously fetid Guanabara Bay" by 80% but officials confirmed in March that the target will not be reached. Instead, they "are now concentrating only on parts of the bay where sailing competitions will take place although they have insisted that these areas will be safe." Bach said, "We can see significant progress, at the same time we have asked the organizing committee to convey our concerns with regard to the issues of the water quality we are still facing in Rio. ... We are approaching major test events in August and we all need to see progress in this regard." Bach "also urged 2020 Olympic hosts Tokyo to settle on plans for the National Stadium as soon as possible." Bach: "This is an issue for the national government to deal with. ... It's in everyone's interest not to have this dragging on, we are confident that the national government will find a solution pretty soon" (REUTERS, 6/8).
