Japanese government says there was “no truth” to a report in The Times that the government had privately concluded the Tokyo Olympics would have to be cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The London Times reported Japan’s government had privately concluded the Tokyo Olympics would have to be cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic and that its focus was now on securing the Games in the next available year, 2032.
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike confirmed that there was no talk of cancelling or delaying the Summer Olympics and that a protest should be lodged over a media report of a possible cancellation.
Though much of Japan is under a state of emergency due to a third wave of COVID-19 infections, Tokyo organisers have consistently vowed to press ahead with the Games scheduled to open on July 23 after having been postponed in March last year.
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach reaffirmed his commitment to holding the Games this year in an interview with Kyodo News. “We have at this moment, no reason whatsoever to believe that the Olympic Games in Tokyo will not open on the 23rd of July in the Olympic stadium in Tokyo,” he said.
