Even as Olympic leaders reiterated their confidence that the coronavirus outbreak will not force cancellation of the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Games, a Japanese official suggested that the host city has a contractual right to postpone the competition until the end of the year.
The dueling pronouncements came Tuesday as the International Olympic Committee's executive board convened for a regularly scheduled meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland. Board members devoted much of the day to discussions on the matter.
"We remain very confident with regard to the success of these Olympic Games," IOC President Thomas Bach said.
Half a world away, a question in the Japanese parliament prompted that country's Olympic minister to discuss nuances of the host contract that all cities must sign when they are awarded the Games.
"The IOC has the right to cancel the Games only if they are not held during 2020," Seiko Hashimoto told parliament, according to the Associated Press. "This can be interpreted to mean the Games can be postponed as long as they are held during the calendar year."
Hashimoto added that officials "are making the utmost effort so that we don't have to face that situation."
Since the COVID-19 virus was detected in China late last year, more than 92,000 people have been infected and 3,100 have died worldwide. Still, as of early Tuesday, the World Health Organization had yet to classify the outbreak as a pandemic because it has severely affected only a handful of countries.
Some health experts have questioned the wisdom of holding any mass public gathering in light of the outbreak; others have said it is too early to make any such decisions.
Last month, the IOC formed a task force that includes representatives from the WHO, the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee and the Japanese government.
"Of course we will continue this regular consultation with this joint task force to be able to address any developments which may occur," Bach said.
Olympic leaders dismissed suggestions of a postponement, repeating their expectation that the Tokyo Games will begin as scheduled on July 24.
"You can come up with all sorts of speculation, all sorts of doomsday scenarios," IOC spokesman Mark Adams told reporters. "We would prefer to stick to the advice from the experts."
