New Delhi: Japan's Olympic minister on Tuesday said that the Tokyo 2020 Games could be postponed from the summer until later in the year due to fears over coronavirus outbreak.

In a response to a question in Japan's parliament, Seiko Hashimoto said Tokyo's contract with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) "calls for the Games to be held within 2020", as quoted by BBC Sport. She added that "could be interpreted as allowing a postponement".

The Olympics are slated to start from July 24 and is set to continue till August 9. "We are doing all we can to ensure that the Games go ahead as planned," Hashimoto added.

Last week, IOC President Thomas Bach said that the organisation is "fully committed" to hosting the event as scheduled.