Tokyo Olympics 2020: Event Could Be Postponed, But 'Canceling Not An Option', Says Japan PM

Coronavirus pandemic: Japan has been under high pressure to postpone or cancel the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, scheduled to commence from July 24, this year.

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New Delhi: A day after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that it is stepping up its scenario-planning for the Tokyo Olympics 2020, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe hinted that the event could be postponed but 'canceling is not an option'. Japan has been under high pressure to postpone or cancel the event, scheduled to commence from July 24, this year.  "If it is difficult to hold the games in such a way, we have to decide to postpone it, giving top priority to (the health of the) athletes," Abe said. "Cancellation is not an option," he added. Meanwhile, Canada on Sunday became the first country announce that team Canada will not participate in the Olympics and Paralympics this summer. "The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) and Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC), backed by their Athletes' Commissions, National Sports Organizations and the Government of Canada, have made the difficult decision to not send Canadian teams to the Olympic and Paralympic Games in the summer of 2020," the statement read. IOC president Thomas Bach, in an open letter to athletes, on Sunday that the IOC will "start detailed discussions" with the Tokyo 2020 and Japanese government to "complete its assessment of the rapid development of the worldwide health situation and its impact on the Olympic Games, including the scenario of postponement." "The IOC is confident that it will have finalised these discussions within the next four weeks," Bach said. He emphasised that "cancellation is not on the agenda".