Tokyo Olympics will not be cancelled due to coronavirus crisis, organisers insist

There have been fears over the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on this summer's Tokyo Olympics
AFP via Getty Images

Olympic bosses in Tokyo have reiterated their insistence the Games will go ahead as planned, despite a raft of sporting events being axed in China because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Nearly 1,500 people have died from about 50,000 infected in mainland China, leading to the Hong Kong Sevens being postponed on Thursday.

On Wednesday, Formula 1 bosses postponed the Grand Prix in Shanghai, with the Formula E race and World Athletics Indoor Championships also axed because of the virus.

Japan has already had a raft of cases of the coronavirus, including 175 on a cruise ship quarantined in Yokohama.

But Tokyo 2020 president Yoshiro Moro insisted: “I want to state clearly that cancellation or postponement of the Games has not been considered.”

The International Olympic Committee have sounded a confident note to date that the Games will go ahead as scheduled but long-term member John Coates said they would hold further talks with Tokyo officials.

He added: “We have unexpected issues to deal with, such as the coronavirus. We look forward to hearing from the ­Japanese government… to ensure the athletes and people who come to the Games are not going to be affected and that all precautions are being taken.”

Meanwhile, the upcoming F1 season could be thrown into further turmoil, with the Vietnam Grand Prix also under threat from the virus. The track is 100 miles away from the Chinese border.

In a statement, the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the governing body of motor sport, said they would evaluate their racing calendar and, if necessary, take any action “to help protect the global motorsport community and the wider public”.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in