With just 162 days left for the opening ceremony of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics which will start from July 24, rumours are ripe about the event being called off due to the deadly coronavirus outbreak, that has claimed 1,363 lives and infected over 60,000 people from around the world.
Tokyo Olympics CEO Yoshiro Mori put an end to such 'irresponsible rumours' and stated that there hasn't been any consideration on postponing or cancelling the Games, on Thursday, February 13.
Is 2020 Tokyo Olympics going to be cancelled?
In a meeting with top International Olympic Committee officials, Tokyo 2020 CEO Yoshiro Mori informed, "With regards to the coronavirus, there are many irresponsible rumours but I would like to make it clear again that we are not considering postponing or cancelling the Games", AFP reported.
"We would like to coordinate with the national government and act in a calm manner", he added. Saburo Kawabuchi, the mayor of the Olympic Village, told at the meeting that "still no clue as to when the virus will be resolved".
"We have the rainy season that could defeat the virus", he added, thus being hopeful that humidity would kill the virus. Also, Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike promised to implement "thorough measures" to protect people from the coronavirus in the run-up to the Olympics.
Which games have been cancelled or rescheduled?
A number of Olympics qualification games, including boxing and basketball, which were going to be held in China, have been rescheduled. Formula One's Shanghai Grand Prix has been postponed from mid-April. The inaugural Vietnamese Grand Prix and Hong Kong Sevens, which are both scheduled in April's first week, might be rescheduled as well.
Coronavirus in Japan
Japan has confirmed 247 Covid-19 cases, with 28 cases inside the country and 219 on cruise ship floating off the Japanese coast. On Wednesday, China's hard-hit Hubei province reported a staggering 14,840 new cases and 242 fatalities. More than 60,000 infection cases have been reported from over two dozen countries, since the virus outbreak was first reported on December 31, in Wuhan.
