Tokyo 2020 organisers insist IOC are going ahead as planned with Olympics despite coronavirus threat

Tony Mogan27 February 2020

Preparations for Tokyo 2020 are going ahead as planned despite growing concerns over the coronavirus outbreak.

A host of sporting events in China have been cancelled due to the virus, including the Chinese Grand Prix, with precautions now being taken across Europe.

A number of Serie A games were called off last weekend while Ireland’s Six Nations meeting with Italy in Dublin on 7 March has now been postponed.

IOC vice-president Dick Pound suggested this week this summer’s Olympic Games, which behind on 24 July, could also be at risk. A spokesman for the Japanese government however insists it is business as usual as far as the International Olympic Committee is concerned.

Pound told the Associated Press that the fast-spreading virus could cancel the Olympics. Spokesman Yoshihide Suga says Pound's opinion does not reflect the official view of the IOC, which has repeatedly said there are no plans to cancel or postpone the Tokyo Games.

The viral outbreak that began in China has infected more than 80,000 people and killed more than 2,700 globally. China has reported 2,715 deaths among 78,064 cases on the mainland. Five deaths in Japan have been attributed to the virus and the COVID-19 illness it causes.

"With regard to this member's comment, the IOC has responded that this is not their official position, and that the IOC is proceeding with preparations toward the games as scheduled," Suga said, speaking in Japanese at his daily news conference.

Pound has been a member of the IOC since 1978, serving two terms as vice-president, and was the founding president of the World Anti-Doping Agency.

Additional reporting from Associated Press

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