IOC & Tokyo Reaffirm That Olympic Games Will Not Be Canceled

The Tokyo Olympics were originally supposed to be held in 2020, but the outbreak of the coronavirus forced a dramatic change.

Since the pandemic, Japanese officials have pushed for the Olympic games to begin in July, 2020. The local Olympic committee released a statement reinforcing that the games will move forward as they have the support of Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.

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The released statement is in response to what the British newspaper, The Times of London, reported. The newspaper noted that the Olympic games will be canceled, according to an anonymous source. The source claimed to be a member of the ruling Japanese government coalition. Furthermore, the individual alleged that the government is preparing to break the news to the public while hoping Tokyo will remain the Olympic’s eventual host.

The International Olympic Committee released a statement echoing what Japanese officials said. The IOC reaffirmed the games will be played and proceeded to say, “Some news reports circulating today are claiming that the Government of Japan has privately concluded that the Tokyo Olympics will have to be cancelled because of the coronavirus, this is categorically untrue,” the statement said. The IOC said that everyone will be “working together to prepare for the successful Games this summer” and would “implement all possible countermeasures against Covid-19.”

IOC president Thomas Bach said last week there was “no reason whatsoever” for the event not to go ahead, but also admitted it may involve fewer fans. They may elect to install a bubble similar to the NBA. These details have yet to be released.

The games will be featuring about 11,000 athletes and tens of thousands of coaches, officials and broadcasters. Japan has handled the coronavirus better than other countries, reporting fewer than 5,000 deaths.