Thomas Bach, president of the IOC, attends a news conference after an Executive Board meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland, June 20, 2019. (File photo: CGTN)

LAUSANNE, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach on Friday expressed "sadness" over the resignation of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and thanked him for supporting the Tokyo Olympic Games.

Abe said earlier on Friday that he would step down from his post due to health concerns, bringing an end to his record eight-year tenure.

"It is with great sadness that I learned about the resignation of Prime Minister Abe," Bach said in a statement.

"First of all, I would like to wish him all the very best in his fight against this disease with all the strength we know him to have. At the same time, I would like to thank Prime Minister Abe for his great leadership in getting the Olympic Games back to Japan after the Olympic Games Tokyo 1964, and in overseeing and supporting the overall preparation of these Olympic Games Tokyo 2020."

On March 24, the prime minister announced the postponement of the Tokyo Olympic Games amid the COVID-19 outbreak after reaching consensus with the IOC in a teleconference. Bach thanked Abe for his efforts trying to stage an excellent Tokyo Games despite challenges brought on by the pandemic.

"His engagement was crucial to making the Tokyo Organizing Committee the best prepared ever. Throughout these years, Prime Minister Abe was a strong partner who always stood up for the interests of Japan, and who at the same time could always be trusted. In this way, we were able to find solutions, even in the most difficult circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, which allow his vision for Japan to still come true, even if with one year's delay.

"All the Japanese athletes and the athletes of the entire world are very grateful to him," the IOC chief added.