Japan risks being deprived of the Olympics if it postpones them beyond 2020 due to the coronavirus epidemic, said the Japanese Minister for the Olympic Games on Tuesday, adding that the end of May would be crucial for take a decision.
Ms. Seiko Hashimoto clarified before Parliament that she was referring to the contract concluded between Tokyo, the Japanese Olympic Committee and the International Olympic Committee (IOC): "If we read the contract again, we see that article 66 stipulates that the IOC has the right to cancel the Games "among others" in the event that they are not organized in 2020 ".
Until the end of May to make a decision
So far, the Japanese government and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) still hope that the Games will take place from July 24, even if the spread of the virus around the world raises questions. In Japan, a large number of sporting events have been postponed or canceled and most public schools have been closed this week for about a month.
"We are making every effort to convince the IOC that the Olympic Games can be organized in complete safety," she said, adding that we should see more clearly from the end of May, date limit fixed by the IOC to take a final decision concerning the holding or not of this planetary sporting event.
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- coronavirus
- Sport
- Olympic Games
- Japan
- OJ 2020