The top official responsible for the Tokyo Olympics, which have been postponed to 2021 over coronavirus concerns, said that the event will be canceled altogether if the pandemic is not under control by then.
The Tokyo Olympics were initially slated for July and August of 2020 but were pushed back to the following summer last month.
Tokyo 2020 President Yoshiro Mori said no additional postponement was possible in an interview with Japan’s Nikkan Sports published on Tuesday. If the coronavirus remains an issue for the rescheduled date, “In that case, [the Olympics would be] canceled,” Mori said.
He added that “we’ll hold the Olympics in peace next summer” if the virus is under control, saying, “Mankind is betting on it.”
However, the head of Japan Medical Association, Yoshitake Yokokura, warned that it would be difficult for the games to be played if no vaccine has been created.
“I would not say that they should not be held, but it would be exceedingly difficult,” Yokokura told reporters at a briefing.
The Olympics had never previously been postponed but were canceled in 1916, 1940, and 1944 during World War I and World War II.
To date, there have been more than 3 million confirmed coronavirus cases worldwide, which has resulted in more than 210,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.
