Tokyo Olympic Games unlikely to go ahead, warns former London 2012 chief

Covid threat: The Tokyo Olympic Games have already been delayed by a year due to coronavirus
AFP via Getty Images

The former boss of the London 2012 Olympics has warned that the Tokyo Games are likely to be cancelled in the coming months because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and Olympic organisers have remained adamant that the Games, delayed by a year already because of Covid-19, will go ahead as planned from the end of July despite the global rise in cases. 

And Sir Keith Mills, the chief executive of London 2012, told the BBC: “Personally, sitting here looking at the pandemic around the world in South America, North America, Africa, and across Europe it looks unlikely I have to say. 

“Thankfully I’m not but, if I was sitting in the shoes of the organising committee in Tokyo, I would be making plans for a cancellation and I’m sure they have plans for a cancellation. 

“But I think they will leave it until absolutely the last minute in case the situation improves dramatically, in case the vaccinations roll out faster than we all hope. It’s a tough call, I wouldn’t like to be in their shoes.” 

Increasingly, the Japanese public have turned against the country hosting the Games, with 80 per cent of the population saying in a survey that they would rather the Olympics were rescheduled once more or else cancelled altogether. 

Vaccinations are not expected to begin in Japan - a country with a population of around 126 million people - until the end of February.

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