Two Teutonic Thomases traded twin thoughts. On Monday, International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach held a virtual meeting with various governing bodies of sports around the world. In attendance was Bach's German countryman Thomas Weikert, President of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF). Bach has always been bullish on holding the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, even in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. In March 2020, as the whole world was battening the hatches for a lockdown, Bach reported that "Neither the word ‘cancellation’ nor the word ‘postponement’ was even mentioned" at an IOC meeting. Far from being inspired by this show of defiant bravery, Canada promptly withdrew in protest. After Australia followed suit, the IOC agreed to postpone the summer games until 2021. Now, with over 100 million cases of COVID-19 worldwide, the pandemic is worse than ever. While vaccines are finally starting to trickle out to the public, not even the rosiest projections suggest that it will be safe to gather in the grandstands when the Olympics open this July 21st. In a concession to reality, the IOC assures the public they are working closely with such authorities as the World Health Organization and National Health Authorities of Japan. Bach also spoke of a "tool box" to address the uncertainties which lie ahead. This metaphorical collection includes such vague pleasantries as "vaccination, necessary precautions and travel guarantees." One tool in the box is a "bubble" environment with no fans. For Olympic table tennis players such as Japan's Mima Ito, the absence of a wildly cheering home crowd would be lamentable, but not a deal-breaker. "I want fans to be there, but the most important thing for a player is for the event to go ahead and be able to play," says Ito, the #3-ranked woman in the world. "If that's the choice, I'd rather play without fans. I definitely want to play." For Thomas Weikert, the enthusiasm from the IOC and players alike certainly reinforces his confirmation bias. "I’m very happy that Thomas Bach confirmed that the Games will take place as planned," said Weikert. The details of the 2020 Olympics remain uncertain. For the two Thomases, however, there is no doubting the games must go on. (The name "Thomas" is Aramaic for "twin." Coincidence?)

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