TOKYO, Japan, Mar 12 – Cancelling the 2020 Olympics is “unthinkable” although the classification of the coronavirus as a pandemic will likely have some impact on the Games, the Tokyo city governor said on Thursday.

“It can’t be said that the announcement of a pandemic would have no impact… But I think cancellation is unthinkable,” Yuriko Koike told reporters.

Doubts are increasingly being raised over whether the Olympics can be held as scheduled from July 24 to August 9.

Organisers have insisted the Games will go ahead as planned and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), with whom the final decision rests, has said there has not yet been any talk of cancellation or postponement.

The IOC has said it will coordinate closely with the World Health Organization, which has now officially classified the outbreak as a pandemic.

Koike vowed to work with the IOC and Tokyo 2020 organisers on what she described as a “global issue”, promising to devote her “utmost efforts” to holding the Games.

But coronavirus has already taken a huge toll on sport across the globe with a long list of competitions affected.

US basketball was the latest sport to be hit, as the NBA said it would suspend the season starting on Thursday after a preliminary test on a Utah Jazz player came back positive for COVID-19.

In Italy, the hardest-hit European country, all sporting events including Serie A football have been suspended until April 3.

Arsenal’s game at Manchester City on Wednesday was the first Premier League football fixture to be called off, while Champions League matches have been played behind closed doors and Indian Wells, one of the biggest events of the tennis season, was cancelled.

– ‘Global problem’ –

Coronavirus has already had some impact on the Games, as the traditional flame-lighting ceremony in Olympia, Greece, is expected to be held without spectators after dozens tested positive for the virus nearby.

The torch is due to arrive in Japan on March 20 but the arrival ceremony has also been downscaled, with some 200 children originally scheduled to attend now expected to miss it.

Olympic qualifying tournaments in several different sports have also been cancelled, postponed or moved to different countries.

Tokyo 2020 president Yoshiro Mori said on Wednesday that the Games would go ahead as scheduled although he admitted organisers are “concerned” about the virus, which has infected 124,000 people with 4,500 deaths.

Mori made the comments after a member of the organisers’ executive board sounded the alarm, warning postponing the Games for two years might be the best option under the circumstances.

But Mori dismissed that option, as did Japanese Olympic minister Seiko Hashimoto, who told a parliament committee that postponing or cancelling the Games was “inconceivable”.

Executive board member Haruyuki Takahashi had told Japan’s Asahi Shimbun daily it would be ideal to hold the Olympics as planned but “there has to be an alternative plan”.

“The coronavirus has become a global problem. We can’t just hold it (the Olympics) because Japan is OK,” he told the daily on Wednesday.

Takahashi said the summer two years from now “offers the best possibility” for a postponement, given the international sporting calendar, adding that “preparation must start now” if a delay is on the cards.

He insisted that it would be “impossible” to cancel the Games altogether, and said he was speaking out as “a warning bell” for the organising committee, adding that he would raise the issue at a board meeting later this month.

(Visited 28 times, 28 visits today)

%thecontent%%avatar%

%author%

%authornetworks%

%authordescription%

%authornetworks%

Comments

%sidebar%","opedarticle":"","sidead1":"ff","sidead2":"","sidead3":"","homestory":"

%title%

%game%%date%Read More--","taxonomyitem":"

%title%

%game%%date%Read More------","fixtureitem":"%name1%%score1%VS%score2%%name2%%time%","home":"rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn 1rn 2rn 3rn 4rn 5rn rn rn rn

KRU postpones Lionesses W. Cup repechage

rn rn Rugbyrn rn rn Thursday, 12th Mar 2020rn rn rn rn Read Articlern rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rnrnrnrn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn

More Headlines

rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn

rn Real Madrid in quarantine as La Liga suspends fixturesrn

rn rn Footballrn rn rn rn 3 hours ago rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn

rn Tokyo 2020 Olympics lit in Greece amid virus lockdownrn

rn rn Athleticsrn rn rn rn 4 hours ago rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn

rn South America asks FIFA to delay World Cup qualifiersrn

rn rn Footballrn rn rn rn 8 hours ago rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn

rn Cancelling Olympics ‘unthinkable’, – Tokyo governorrn

rn rn rn rn rn 8 hours ago rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn

rn Injuries, confusion, no excuses: Super Rugby talking pointsrn

rn rn Rugbyrn rn rn rn 7 hours ago rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn

rn Season-opening Australian F1 in chaos as McLaren pulls outrn

rn rn Motorsrn rn rn rn 3 hours ago rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rnrnrn rn rn

Most Popular

rn ntttnttttnttttt

ntttttt
• Latest
ntttttt
• Trending
nttttttttttttt
• Videos
nttttttttttt

nttttnttttntttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttnttttntttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttntttttttttntttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttntttttttnntttttnttttntttttttntt rn rn rn rn rn rn

All Sports

rn trn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn

Real Madrid in quarantine as La Liga suspends fixtures

rn rn rn Footballrn rn Thursday, 12th Mar 2020rn rn rn rn rn Read Morern rn rn rn rn rn --rn rn rn rn rn rnrn rn rn rn rn rn

Tokyo 2020 Olympics lit in Greece amid virus lockdown

rn rn rn Athleticsrn rn Thursday, 12th Mar 2020rn rn rn rn rn Read Morern rn rn rn rn rn --rn rn rn rn rn rnrn rn rn rn rn rn

South America asks FIFA to delay World Cup qualifiers

rn rn rn Footballrn rn Thursday, 12th Mar 2020rn rn rn rn rn Read Morern rn rn rn rn rn --rn rn rn rn rn rnrn rn rn rn rn rn

Cancelling Olympics ‘unthinkable’, – Tokyo governor

rn rn rn rn rn Thursday, 12th Mar 2020rn rn rn rn rn Read Morern rn rn rn rn rn --rn rn rn rn rn rnrn rn rn rn rn rn

Injuries, confusion, no excuses: Super Rugby talking points

rn rn rn Rugbyrn rn Thursday, 12th Mar 2020rn rn rn rn rn Read Morern rn rn rn rn rn --rn rn rn rn rn rn rn

Poll Question

rn rn ntnttnttntt

WILL ARSENAL FINISH TOP FOUR IN 2019/20 EPL SEASON?

ntt
• NO
ntt
• YES
ntt

View Results

ntnn Loading ...n rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn

Season-opening Australian F1 in chaos as McLaren pulls out

rn rn rn Motorsrn rn Thursday, 12th Mar 2020rn rn rn rn rn Read Morern rn rn rn rn rn --rn rn rn rn rn rnrn rn rn rn rn rn

‘Bad loser’ Klopp takes swipe at Atletico tactics

rn rn rn Footballrn rn Thursday, 12th Mar 2020rn rn rn rn rn Read Morern rn rn rn rn rn --rn rn rn rn rn rnrn rn rn rn rn rn

Three things we learned from Liverpool v Atletico Madrid

rn rn rn Footballrn rn Thursday, 12th Mar 2020rn rn rn rn rn Read Morern rn rn rn rn rn --rn rn rn rn rn rnrn rn rn rn rn rn

NBA shut down, fans shut out as coronavirus hits US sport

rn rn rn Basketballrn rn Thursday, 12th Mar 2020rn rn rn rn rn Read Morern rn rn rn rn rn --rn rn rn rn rn rnrn rn rn rn rn rn

Govt okays Sh332m for Kasarani renovations

rn rn rn Athleticsrn rn Wednesday, 11th Mar 2020rn rn rn rn rn Read Morern rn rn rn rn rn --rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn Load More Storiesrn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn

Sponsored

rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn

Featured

rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn Timothy Olobulurn KRU postpones Lionesses W. Cup repechagern rn rn Viewrn rn Thursday, 12th Mar 2020rn rn rn rnrn rn rn rn rn AGENCE FRANCE PRESSErn Real Madrid in quarantine as La Liga suspends fixturesrn rn rn Viewrn rn Thursday, 12th Mar 2020rn rn rn rnrn rn rn rn rn Timothy Olobulurn Tony Onyango to be laid to rest next Fridayrn rn rn Viewrn rn Thursday, 12th Mar 2020rn rn rn rnrn rn rn rn rn AGENCE FRANCE PRESSErn Tokyo 2020 Olympics lit in Greece amid virus lockdownrn rn rn Viewrn rn Thursday, 12th Mar 2020rn rn rn rnrn rn rn rn rn Keziah Aomarn Starlets switch focus to AWCON after Turkeyrn rn rn Viewrn rn Thursday, 12th Mar 2020rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rnrnttt","sidebar":"rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rnrnrnrn rn rn rntrn rn t

Most Popular

rn ntttnttttnttttt

ntttttt
• Latest
ntttttt
• Trending
nttttttttttttt
• Videos
nttttttttttt

nttttnttttntttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttnttttntttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttntttttttttntttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttntttttttnntttttnttttntttttttntt rn rn rn rn trn rn rnrn rn rn rn t

Featured

rn rn trn rn rn rn rn Timothy Olobulurn KRU postpones Lionesses W. Cup repechagern rn rn Viewrn rn Thursday, 12th Mar 2020rn rn rn rnrn rn rn rn rn AGENCE FRANCE PRESSErn Real Madrid in quarantine as La Liga suspends fixturesrn rn rn Viewrn rn Thursday, 12th Mar 2020rn rn rn rnrn rn rn rn rn Timothy Olobulurn Tony Onyango to be laid to rest next Fridayrn rn rn Viewrn rn Thursday, 12th Mar 2020rn rn rn rnrn rn rn rn rn AGENCE FRANCE PRESSErn Tokyo 2020 Olympics lit in Greece amid virus lockdownrn rn rn Viewrn rn Thursday, 12th Mar 2020rn rn rn rnrn rn rn rn rn Keziah Aomarn Starlets switch focus to AWCON after Turkeyrn rn rn Viewrn rn Thursday, 12th Mar 2020rn rn rn rn rn rn rn trn rn rn rn","articleerror":"

Oops...Something broke on our end

"},"messages":{"accessdenied":"Access to the account has been denied ","httperror":"Oops, something went wrong...please try again","contactgoogle":"Contacting Google","firsttime":"Seems this is your first time with this signin system. Please wait as we get your name","signinsuccess":"Cool. You're now signed in. This signin will close automatically now","pendingrequest":"Still communicating with the server","signedout":"Seems you were signed out. Try submitting again after you've been signed in","trackingerror":"Couldn't track Analytics","xhrnotconfigured":"To webmaster: Please confirm the xhr/ajax receptor is configured on the server","loadmore":"Load more stories"}}; /* ]]> */