The development of a COVID-19 vaccine or treatment would be key to allowing the postponed Tokyo Olympic Games to open in a year’s time, Tokyo Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games president Yoshiro Mori said yesterday.
Asked what factors would be crucial for the rescheduled Games to go ahead, Mori said that “it would be whether the coronavirus woe is settling down.”
“Specifically, the first point will be that a vaccine or drug has been developed,” he said in an interview with Japan Broadcasting Corp.
Photo: AP
Asked whether Tokyo could hold the Games if the virus situation remained unchanged, Mori said: “If things continue as they are now, we couldn’t.”
However, he said that such a scenario was hypothetical.
“I can’t imagine a situation like this will continue for another year,” he added.
The Tokyo Olympic Games should have been opening tomorrow, but they were postponed in March as the virus spread across the globe, marking the worst disruption to an Olympics since two editions were canceled during World War II.
The Games are now set to open on July 23, 2021, but polls have shown less public enthusiasm for hosting the event, as virus cases show a resurgence in Japan.
Just one in four people in Japan want to see the delayed Games held next year, with most backing either further delay or a cancelation, a survey published this week by Kyodo News showed.
Most of those backing a delay or cancelation said they simply did not believe that the pandemic could be contained in time for the Games.
Among the options that have been floated for a Games held during a pandemic is the possibility of limited spectators, or holding the event behind closed doors.
However, reducing the number of spectators would be tough, Mori said, adding that holding the event without any fans was not an option for now.
“If it’s the only way to do it, then it’s something we’d have to consider. If that happens, there might be talk of cancelation,” he was quoted as saying, without elaborating.
With just over a year to go until the rescheduled Games, there are persistent doubts about whether the delay will be sufficient for the pandemic to be brought under control.
Tokyo has seen an increase in cases and the country’s borders remain sealed to overseas visitors.
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