Japan says end of May is key stage for Tokyo Olympics decision
Japan's Olympics minister said the end of May would be an important point in making a decision on whether to hold the Tokyo Games starting on July 24 amid worries the coronavirus could cause the first cancellation since World War Two.
Responding to questions in parliament, Seiko Hashimoto said Tuesday she was aware of the comments by International Olympic Committee senior member Dick Pound, who has said late May would be the latest a decision could be made.
"I think the end of May is an important stage," Hashimoto said. "We will make efforts so that the IOC can be convinced it can be staged safely. We are putting all our strength into that."
The right to decide whether to push ahead with the event lies with the International Olympic Committee, Hashimoto said. Japanese and Olympic officials have been saying there is no change to holding the games as planned, hoping that the coronavirus, which can spread quickly between people in dense crowds, would be brought under control.
But the stakes are enormous for the world's biggest sporting event. Tokyo has been preparing for the games for about seven years, spending more than $26 billion to ready the city, according to some estimates.
Japan is grappling with an outbreak of the deadly virus, which has seen more than 250 people infected and at least six deaths excluding those related to the Diamond Princess cruise ship. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has requested that all schools be closed for about a month and urged people to rethink large-scale events.
The Olympic Games haven't been canceled since the summer of 1944, when they were called off due to war raging across much of Europe and Asia.
