Tokyo Olympic Games more likely to be cancelled than postponed because of coronavirus

A senior IOC member says the Tokyo Games are more likely to be cancelled than postponed or moved because of coronavirus.

You don’t just move an event like the Olympics, says IOC member Dick Pound. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

A senior member of the International Olympic Committee says the Tokyo Games are more likely to be cancelled than postponed or moved if it proves too dangerous to hold them because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Dick Pound, the IOC’s longest serving member, estimated there is a three-month window – perhaps only two months – to decide the fate of the Tokyo Olympics, meaning a decision could be put off until late May.

“In and around that time, I’d say folks are going to have to ask: ‘Is this under sufficient control that we can be confident about going to Tokyo or not?”’ he said.

If the IOC decides the games cannot go forward as scheduled in Tokyo, “you’re probably looking at a cancellation,” he said.

However, Tokyo Olympics organisers say preparations are “continuing as planned”, despite a growing list of sporting events being cancelled or postponed because of the virus outbreak.

Japan’s Football League became the latest victim of the coronavirus, just five months before the Games.

The J-League added to jitters around the Olympics as it called off domestic football until mid-March, starting with seven cup games scheduled for Wednesday, as fears of a pandemic grow.

But Games organisers said cancelling the July 24-August 9 Olympics, which will draw millions of fans and tourists, as well as thousands of athletes and officials, had never been discussed.

“We have never discussed cancelling the Games,” said a Tokyo 2020 statement. “Preparations for the Games are continuing as planned.”

The Australian Olympic team chef de mission Ian Chesterman is expected to face questions about Australia’s position on the threat posed to world sport by the coronavirus at a press conference in Canberra later on Wednesday.

The viral outbreak that began in China two months ago has infected more than 80,000 people globally and killed over 2700, the vast majority of them in China. But the virus has gained a foothold in South Korea, the Middle East and Europe, raising fears of a pandemic. Japan itself has reported four deaths.

Pound encouraged athletes to keep training. About 11,000 are expected for the Olympics, which open July 24, and 4400 are bound for the Paralympics, which open August 25.

“As far as we all know, you’re going to be in Tokyo,” Pound said. “All indications are at this stage that it will be business as usual. So keep focused on your sport and be sure that the IOC is not going to send you into a pandemic situation.”

The modern Olympics, which date to 1896, have been cancelled only during wartime. The Olympics in 1940 were supposed to be in Tokyo but were called off because of Japan’s war with China and World War II. The Rio Games in Brazil went on as scheduled in 2016 despite the outbreak of the zika virus.

Tourists wear masks as they pause for photos with the New National Stadium, a venue for the opening and closing ceremonies at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Picture: Jae C Hong/AP

Pound repeated the IOC’s stance – that it is relying on consultations with the World Health Organisation to make any move. As for the possibility of postponement, he said: “You just don’t postpone something on the size and scale of the Olympics. There’s so many moving parts, so many countries and different seasons, and competitive seasons, and television seasons. You can’t just say, ‘We’ll do it in October’.”

Pound said moving to another city also seems unlikely “because there are few places in the world that could think of gearing up facilities in that short time to put something on.”

SPORTS EVENTS AFFECTED BY CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK

ATHLETICS: World indoor championships, Nanjing from March 13-15 – postponed to March 2021; Hong Kong Marathon, Feb 9 – cancelled; Asian indoor championships, Hangzhou, Feb. 12-13 – cancelled; Tokyo Marathon, March 1 – restricted to elite runners.

MOTORSPORT: Chinese Grand Prix, Shanghai, April 19 – postponed, new date not set.

BADMINTON: China Masters, Hainan, Feb. 25-March – postponed, new date not set

Asian team championships, Manila, Feb. 11-16 – China and Hong Kong withdrew.

BASKETBALL: Women’s Olympic qualifying tournament, Foshan, China, Feb. 6-9 – moved to Belgrade, Serbia; Asia Cup qualifiers: Philippines vs. Thailand on Feb. 20; Japan vs. China on Feb 21, China vs. Malaysia on Feb. 24 – all postposed.

BIATHLON: Olympic test event, Zhangjiakou, Feb. 27-March 2 – cancelled

BOXING: Asia-Oceania Olympic qualifier, Wuhan, March 3-11 – moved to Amman, Jordan

CLIMBING: Asian Championships, Chongqing, April 25-May 3 – to be relocated

World Cup; Wujiang, China, April 18-19 – cancelled; World Cup, Chongqing, China, April 22 – cancelled.

EQUESTRIAN: Hong Kong showjumping leg of Longines Masters Series, Feb 14-16 – cancelled.

FIELD HOCKEY: Pro League matches between China and Belgium on Feb. 8-9 and Australia on March 14-15 – postponed; India women’s tour of China, March 14-25 – cancelled; Ireland women’s tour of Malaysia, March-April – cancelled.

GOLF: HSBC Women’s World Championship, Singapore, Feb. 27-March 1 – cancelled. Blue Bay LPGA, Hainan Island, China, March 5-8 – cancelled; European Tour Maybank Championship, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, April 16-19 – postponed; China Open, Shenzhen, China, April 23-26 – postponed.

GYMNASTICS: Artistic World Cup, Melbourne, Feb. 20-23 – China team withdrew

HANDBALL: Olympic women’s qualifying tournament, Montenegro, March 20-22 – China withdrew, Hong Kong declined invitation to attend.

ICE HOCKEY: Chinese clubs in Supreme Hockey League playing home games in Russia. Women’s Challenge Cup of Asia, Manila, Philippines, Feb. 23-28 – cancelled.

JUDO: Paris Grand Slam, Feb. 8-9 – China team withdrew; Dusseldorf Grand Slam, Feb. 21-23 – China team withdrew.

RUGBY: Hong Kong Sevens – moved from April 3-5 to Oct. 16-18; Singapore Sevens – moved from April 11-12 to Oct. 10-11.

SAILING: Asian Nacra 17 Championship, Shanghai, March 1-6 – moved to Genoa, Italy from April 12-19; Asian 49erFX Championship, Hainan, March 20-29 – moved to Genoa, Italy from April 12-19

SKIING: Alpine World Cup, Yanqing, China, Feb. 15-16 – cancelled.

SOCCER: Asian Champions League: Matches involving Chinese clubs Guangzhou Evergrande, Shanghai Shenhua, and Shanghai SIPG postponed to April-May; Asian women’s Olympic qualifying Group B tournament relocated from Wuhan to Sydney from Feb. 3-13; China vs. South Korea playoff on March 11 moved from China to Malaysia; AFC Cup: All group stage and playoff matches in east zone delayed to April 7. Chinese Super League, due to start Feb. 22, delayed; Asian men’s futsal championship in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan from Feb. 26-March 8 postponed.

SWIMMING: Asian water polo championships, Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, Feb. 12-16 – cancelled; Diving Grand Prix, Madrid, Feb. 14-16 – China team withdrew; Diving world series event, Beijing, March 7-9 – cancelled

TENNIS: Fed Cup Asia-Oceania Group I tournament, March 3-7. – moved from Dongguan to Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Davis Cup: China forfeited World Group I playoff v Romania in Piatra Neamt on March 6-7.

VOLLEYBALL: Beach volleyball World Cup, Yangzhou, April 22-26 – postponed.

WEIGHTLIFTING: Asian Championships, April 18-25 – moved from Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan to Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

WRESTLING: Asian Championships, New Delhi, Feb. 20-23 – China, North Korea, Turkmenistan teams withdrew.

Additional reporting: Agencies