Postponing the Olympics over the coronavirus pandemic may become “inevitable”, Japan’s prime minister conceded on Monday, after the International Olympic Committee said a delay was being considered as pressure grows from athletes and sports bodies.
The comments from Shinzo Abe were his first acknowledgement that the 2020 Games may not open as scheduled on July 24.
For weeks, Japan and Olympic officials have held the line that preparations are moving ahead to hold the Games as scheduled, but there has been increasing pressure from sports federations and athletes whose training has been thrown into turmoil.
On Monday, Abe told parliament that Japan was still committed to hosting a “complete” Games, but added: “If that becomes difficult, in light of considering athletes first, it may become inevitable that we make a decision to postpone.”
“Cancellation is not an option,” Abe said, echoing comments from IOC chief Thomas Bach, who ruled out scrapping the Games, saying it “would not solve any problem and would help nobody”.
The IOC has also shifted its position on the Games, issuing a statement on Sunday saying it was stepping up planning for different scenarios, including postponement.
It said it would hold “detailed discussions” on the “worldwide health situation and its impact on the Olympic Games, including the scenario of postponement”. A decision should come “within the next four weeks”, the body added.
“Human lives take precedence over everything, including the staging of the Games,” Bach wrote in an open letter to athletes.
But the IOC warned that the logistics of postponing the Games were extremely complicated, with venues potentially unavailable, millions of hotel nights already booked and a packed international sports calendar.
“These are just a few of many, many more challenges.”
The IOC is responsible for making any final decision on the Games, and has come under increasing pressure as the coronavirus crisis grows.
The idea of holding the Games on schedule has drawn a swelling chorus of objections.