Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Likely To Be Postponed Due To Coronavirus Threat

Tokyo Games 2020—One of Japan’s biggest events of all year—is likely to be pushed to a later date, owing to the mounting fear of the fast-spreading Coronavirus. But, the organizers are "fully committed" to holding the much-anticipated event as per schedule.

Japan’s Olympic minister Seiko Hashimoto maintained that the contract for the Tokyo Games only specifies that the event must during 2020, without any categoric mention of which month it should be held. Yet, Hashimoto made it clear that efforts were being made to ensure Olympics would be held irrespective of how the outbreak pans out in the months to come. “We are making the utmost effort so that we don’t have to face that situation,” she said.

“The IOC has the right to cancel the games only if they are not held during 2020,” Hashimoto told parliament, as per a media out. “This can be interpreted to mean the games can be postponed as long as they are held during the calendar year,” he added. On the other hand, IOC President Thomas Bach quashed rumors that fuelled speculations about an alleged cancellation or postponement. “The preparations for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 are continuing with a view to having successful Olympic Games this summer in Tokyo,” said Bach, in an interview to a Japanese media outlet last week.

Speculations ran amok soon after Tokyo organizers on Tuesday weren’t left with any option but to call off a Paralympic wheelchair rugby test event on the orders of Prime Minister Shizo Abe in a bid to thwart the confluence of huge crowd events in the weeks to come.

Tokyo Games plays a strategic role in terms of revenue, as the International Olympic Committee rakes in a whopping 73% of its annual $5.7 billion income in a four-year Olympic cycle from selling broadcast rights. About a portion of that revenue is from the American network NBC.

Considering how most parts of the world is gripped by fear of the deadly virus, former IOC vice president Dick Pound reiterated that the final call about the Olympics will be taken in the coming few months.

Currently, the Tokyo organizers have 17 test events to go as per the schedule. The last one is slated to conclude on May 8. Most of the events feature fledgling athletes, with the highlight in the schedule being a gymnastics test on April 4-6, which will see the participation of non-Japanese athletes.