TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said for the first time on Monday that the Tokyo Olympic Games may need to be postponed if the event cannot be held in its “complete form” due to the coronavirus pandemic.
FILE PHOTO – Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attends a news conference on Japan’s response to the coronavirus outbreak at his official residence in Tokyo, Japan March 14, 2020. REUTERS/Issei Kato
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Sunday after an emergency meeting that it is stepping up its “scenario planning” for the 2020 Games due to start on July 24, including a possible postponement.
Abe said while cancelling the Games was not an option, a delay was now on the cards if the event could not be held in its complete form.
“If that becomes difficult, we may have no option but to consider postponing the Games,” h