PRESIDENT SHINZO ABE has asked for a suspension on all major sporting and cultural events to stem the spread of coronavirus, but government insists Olympic Games remains scheduled as planned

The Tokyo Olympic Games will go ahead as planned despite the outbreak of the deadly coronavirus, the Japanese government has insisted, even though Prime Minster Shinzo Abe announced a two-week suspension on all major sports and cultural events.

Japan is under growing pressure to consider postponing or cancelling the 2020 olympics as the coronavirus outbreak threatens to become a pandemic, having spread from Asia to Europe and the Middle East.

On Tuesday, confirmed cases were made in Switzerland, Croatia and mainland Spain, which followed Monday’s additions of Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain.

It came on the same day as a stern warning from former International Olympic Committee  vice-president Dick Pound that they have three months to decide whether to cancel the Tokyo Games or not, given the level of logistical work that has to go into getting the city ready to stage such a large event.

But while Japanese Prime Minister Abe, on Wednesday, called for sports and cultural events to be suspended for two weeks as the country battles to stem coronavirus contagion, the government insisted plans for the Olympics will continue as scheduled.

“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,” said Yoshihide Suga, a spokesman for the Japanese Government.

With around 11 000 athletes set to descend on Japan for the Olympics and a further 4 400 for the Paralympics – on top of thousands of visiting fans – ex-World Anti-Doping Agency president Pound believes that there is already a deadline for the Games to decide whether it will go ahead on July 24 or not.

“You could certainly go to two months out if you had to,” said Pound, who has been a member of the IOC since 1978, speaking to the Associated Press.

“A lot of things have to start happening. You’ve got to start ramping up your security, your food, the Olympic Village, the hotels, the media folks will be in there building their studios.

This is the new war and you have to face it. 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?’”

The prospect of the Games being relocated has been raised, with London mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey pushing the capital cities’ provisions to stage the Olympics at late notice after last hosting it eight years ago. 

But Pound disagreed with that prospect, and believes that “…you’re probably looking at a cancellation…” if Tokyo 2020 cannot go ahead.

“To move the place is difficult because there are few places in the world that could think of gearing up facilities in that short time to put something on.As far as we all know you’re going to be in Tokyo,” Pound added in a message to athletes. 

“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 IOC has said that it will follow advice from the World Health Organisation, the latest of which has warned to prepare for a pandemic if coronavirus continues to spread across the globe. 

Pound reiterated that a decision does not need to be made until all the facts are known about the risk to the Games, because the ramifications on not staging it as planned will be huge for all of the sports involved.

“It’s a big, big, big decision and you just can’t take it until you have reliable facts on which to base it,” Pound said, adding “it doesn’t call for cancellation or postponement of the Olympics.

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.”

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.

The government also confirmed that, from Thursday, foreign nationals who have visited South Korea’s Daegu City or Cheongdo County in North Gyeongsang Province will not be allowed to travel to Japan without exceptional circumstances, adding to the ongoing ban on visitors from China’s Hubei and Zhejiang provinces.

Following the government’s request for sporting events to be suspended, Japan Rugby confirmed that all Top League fixtures will be postponed for the next fortnight. 

A statement read: “Due to concerns related to the spread of coronavirus, Japan Rugby Top League matches scheduled for this weekend and next, will be postponed.

Matches scheduled to take place on February 29 and March 1 will be rescheduled to March 21, 22 and matches scheduled for March 7, 8 will be rescheduled to May 2,3.” — Source:www.independent.co.uk