Reports that the Tokyo Olympics will be cancelled are “categorically false,” says the IOC
The Japanese government has joined in with statements that everything remains normal for the games to take place amid the pandemic.
The International Olympic Committee on Friday responded to a report in the British newspaper The Times that reported that the Japanese government had decided to cancel the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, denying it, saying that the reports are “categorically false.”
The Japanese government did the same, stating that the games will go ahead.
The Times story quoted a senior member of the organizing committee.
"Some media reports circulating today are indicating that the Japanese government has privately concluded that the Olympic Games will be cancelled due to the coronavirus," the report said, adding, "This is categorically false (…) All parties involved are working to prepare for a successful Games this summer."
The other statement, from Tokyo 2020 organizers, wrote that Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga expressed his commitment to holding the games.
"All of our partners, including the government, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the Organizing Committee, the IOC and the IPC are fully focused on holding the Games this summer. We hope that normal life can return as soon as possible and we will continue our efforts to prepare for safe Games," the statement said, as reported by CNN.
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