The Olympic Games in Tokyo, postponed from 2020 to the summer of 2021 due to the outbreak of the newly created Corona virus, are virtually threatened with cancellation if the pandemic is not brought under control next year, the organizing committee president announced today.
In an interview with "Nikan Sports" daily, Yoshiro Mori said that the games cannot be postponed beyond 2021 if the epidemic does not end, "in this case it will be canceled," indicating that it cannot be postponed again.
Japanese organizers, under great pressure from athletes, sports federations and then the International Olympic Committee, had to postpone the Games last March for a year, to become scheduled on July 32, 2021.
And whether it is possible to postpone the Olympics again to 2022 if the threat of the emerging Corona virus continues until next year, Mori concludes "no". "And in this case it will be canceled." Morrie said the games were canceled earlier in wartime, and compared the battle with Corona with "fighting an invisible enemy."
And in the event that the virus is successfully contained, "we will organize the games in peace next summer," said the head of the organizing committee, "Humanity is betting on that."
Last week, Mori indicated that he put forward the idea of postponing the games for two years to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, but "the prime minister decided that postponing for a year is the right course."
Japanese organizers and officials believe that the postponement of the games will be an opportunity to show the victory of mankind over the "Covid 19" virus, but questions have arisen about whether the delay period for a year is sufficient or not.
The president of the Japanese Medical Association, Yoshitaki Yukukura, warned that it would be "very difficult" to organize the games next year if no vaccine was discovered, "I do not say it will be canceled, but that (its regulation) will be very difficult."
A Japanese expert last week criticized the country's response to the Corona virus, warning that it was "very pessimistic" of the possibility of holding the Games in 2021.