Games odds-on to start on time

TOKYO • A delay of one or two years would be the "most feasible" option if the Tokyo Olympics cannot be held in summer owing to the global coronavirus outbreak, a member of the organising committee's executive board has told Reuters.

But the head of the Tokyo 2020 organising committee Yoshiro Mori has dismissed any suggestion of a delay, saying his team was not considering any change in plan and that Haruyuki Takahashi, who raised the possibility of a postponement, had apologised for the "outrageous" suggestion.

Japan's Olympics Minister Seiko Hashimoto also rubbished a cancellation or delay as "inconceivable".

"With the star athletes in the middle of preparations for this event, which happens only once every four years, a cancellation or delay is inconceivable," she said. "A delay is not under consideration."

The former Olympic speed skater and track cyclist, however, acknowledged that the final decision rests with the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

The remarks are the latest in a series of back-and-forth statements between the various groups involved in organising the Games.

Ms Hashimoto said earlier this month a delay was theoretically possible, leading IOC president Thomas Bach to deny that any discussion of a delay or cancellation had taken place.

Takahashi, one of more than two dozen members of the Tokyo 2020 executive board, had told Reuters that the financial damage from cancelling the Games or holding them without spectators would be too great, while a delay of less than a year would clash with other major professional sports schedules.

"We need to start preparing for any possibility. If the Games can't be held in the summer, a delay of one or two years would be most feasible," he said.

Japan has had nearly 1,300 cases of the coronavirus, including about 700 from a cruise ship that was quarantined near Tokyo last month.

On Tuesday, it saw the biggest number of infections in a single day, 59 cases, according to public broadcaster NHK.

It has taken increasingly bold steps to attempt to contain the Covid-19 situation but as the disease spreads across the world, the decision may no longer rest on the state of the contagion in the country.

Mori, when asked what made him confident that the Games would not be affected by the outbreak, said he thought an impact was unavoidable but he did not give details.

"Specialists in each field are looking into what to do," he said.

"I believe the WHO (World Health Organisation) will soon announce its basic stance."

REUTERS, BLOOMBERG