Organisers of the Tokyo 2020 have hinted that the Olympics could be canceled if the coronavirus pandemic continues into next year.
The Games are scheduled to start from July 23, 2021, having already been postponed a year amid the Covid-19 outbreak.
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This would be the strongest statement on canceling the Olympics and Paralympics from organizers, who have routinely said they are focusing on plans to hold the Games.
Asked in an interview with Nikkan Sports about another postponement of the event if the virus is ongoing, Tokyo 2020 President Yoshiro Mori said: “No. It will be canceled then.
“The Olympics were canceled in the past for problems like war. We are fighting against an invisible enemy now.”
Mori reiterated that organizers are still working towards holding the Games next year.
“The Olympics would be much more valuable than any Olympics in the past if we could go ahead with them after winning this battle,” he said.
“We have to believe this otherwise our hard work and efforts will not be rewarded.”
Meanwhile, leading Japanese doctor Yoshitake Yokokura said that it would be “difficult to hold the Olympics” without an effective vaccine.
“I am not saying that (Japan) should or shouldn’t host it, but I expect it would be difficult to do so,” Yokokura, President of Japan’s Medical Association, said in a press conference on Tuesday.
“I want to believe that (the number of) infected people (in Tokyo) is decreasing. But there is not enough testing being conducted in Japan so it’s difficult to assess (if the number of cases have fallen).
“We need to monitor the situation for another week.”
There are 13,614 reported confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Japan and at least 385 deaths, according to the latest tally by Johns Hopkins University.
CNN has contacted Tokyo 2020, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) for comment regarding the scheduling of the Games but did not immediately receive any response.
