Tokyo Olympics Chief Insists Games won’t be Cancelled
Seiko Hashimoto, Minister for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, speaks during a press conference in Tokyo on March 17, 2020. - The International Olympic Committee will hold high-level talks on March 17, as doubts grow over the Tokyo Games and with some in Japan urging officials not to risk lives by pressing ahead during the coronavirus emergency. (Photo by Kazuhiro NOGI / AFP) (Photo by KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP via Getty Images)
The head of the Tokyo Olympics assured the world that the postponed games will open in just over three months and not be cancelled despite surging COVID-19 cases in Japan.
Organising committee president Seiko Hashimoto was asked at a news conference if there were any conditions under which the Olympics would be cancelled.
The question comes as the general secretary of ruling LDP political party, Toshihiro Nikai, raised the possibility the day before.
Nikai, the N. 2 person in the LDP party, was asked on Thursday in an interview if cancellation was still an option. “Of course,” he replied, adding that if the Tokyo Games caused a surge in infections “there would be no meaning to having the Olympics.”
Nikai tried to backtrack later, and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga issued a statement on Thursday saying there is “no change to the government position to do everything to achieve safe and secure Olympics.”
Hashimoto acknowledged Nikai’s concern and suggested it was probably shared by the Japanese public. Polls show as many as 80 per cent in Japan oppose holding the Olympics during the pandemic.
“The fact that he (Nikai) is concerned is a point that we need to take seriously as Tokyo 2020,” Hashimoto said. “His comment has reminded us of how tedious it was for us to feel confident or be fully prepared for delivering the games.”
