(CNN) – The Olympics could be canceled if the covid-19 pandemic continues until next year, according to the 2020 Tokyo president.
The Games are scheduled to start on July 23, 2021, as they were postponed for a year amid the virus outbreak.
This would be the strongest statement about the cancellation of the Olympics and Paralympics by organizers, who have routinely said they are focusing on plans to host them.
When asked in an interview with Nikkan Sports about another postponement of the event if the virus is ongoing, Tokyo 2020 President Yoshiro Mori said: “No. It will be canceled then. The Olympics were canceled in the past due to problems like war. We are fighting an invisible enemy now. “
Mori reiterated that organizers are still working to celebrate the Games in 2021.
“The Olympics would be much more valuable than any Olympiad in the past if we could move on after winning this battle,” he said. “We have to believe this; otherwise, our hard work and efforts will not be rewarded. ”
Meanwhile, prominent Japanese doctor Yoshitake Yokokura said it would be “difficult to hold the Olympics” without an effective vaccine. “
“I am not saying that (Japan) should or should not be the host, but I think it will be difficult to do so,” Yokokura, president of the Japan Medical Association, said at a press conference on Tuesday.
“I want to believe that (the number of) infected people (in Tokyo) is decreasing. But not enough testing is done in Japan, making it difficult to assess (if the number of cases has decreased).
“We need to monitor the situation for another week.”
There are 13,614 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Japan and at least 385 deaths, according to the latest count by Johns Hopkins University.
When CNN contacted the Tokyo 2020 public relations office, a spokesperson said, “The new dates for the Tokyo 2020 Games are already set in 2021.”
“The organizing committee’s mission is to prepare for next year’s Games stage,” organizers said. “We have built a framework for anti-coronavirus measures, where the IOC and Tokyo 2020 exchange information and carry out close coordination including the WHO. We will continue to maintain this close coordination with all parties involved and discuss additional steps as necessary. ”
In a statement released last week, the International Olympic Committee said Japan would not get a second postponement, but added that it was “very confident that all the complex parties will come together and give us wonderful Games.”
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