Japan's Prime Minister has admitted for the first time that the Olympics could be postponed, as Canada became the first nation to pull out of the Games amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Shinzo Abe, along with fellow Government and Games officials, has stuck resolutely to the line that the Games would go ahead as planned at the end of July.
But on Monday he admitted: “If it is difficult to hold [The Games] in a complete way, a decision of postponement would be unavoidable as we think the athletes’ safety is paramount.”
Japan’s change of position comes amid mounting criticism about the end-of-July start date, with many participating countries yet to feel the full effect of Covid-19.
Overnight, Canadian officials said they would not be sending athletes to either the Olympics or Paralympics.
In a joint statement, the Canadian Olympic Committee and Paralympic Committee said they had “made the difficult decision to not send Canadian teams to the Olympic and Paralympic Games in the summer of 2020”.
It said: “The COC and CPC urgently call on the International Olympic Committee and International Paralympic Committee and the World Health Organisation to postpone the Games for one year and we offer them our full support in helping navigate all the complexities that rescheduling the Games will bring.
“This is not solely about health — it is about our public health. With Covid-19 and the associated risks, it is not safe for our athletes, and the health and safety of their families and the broader Canadian community, to continue training towards the Games.”
Meanwhile, the Australian Olympic Committee held an emergency conference call on Monday in which they unanimously agreed their athletes should prepare for a Tokyo Olympics next year.
Australian chef de mission for Tokyo Ian Chesterman said: “It’s clear the Games can’t be held in July. Our athletes have been magnificent in their positive attitude to training and preparing but the stress and uncertainty has been extremely challenging for them.”
AOC chief executive Matt Carroll called on potential Australian Olympians and Paralympians to prepare for 2021.
He said: “The athletes want to go to the Games but they also take on board their own personal health. We need to give our athletes that certainty and that’s what we’ve done.”
The Canadian and Australian stance comes after the International Olympic Committee admitted for the first time that they were considering postponing the Games but that they would give themselves a four-week window in which to make an official decision.
They insisted that cancellation was not an option but said they could modify plans for the Games to go ahead in a reduced format on the planned July 24 start date or else postpone.
The IOC and Tokyo 2020 bosses received further pressure on Sunday night when Seb Coe, the president of World Athletics, called for a postponement in a letter to IOC counterpart Thomas Bach.
“I request the Games be moved,” said Coe. “The unanimous view across all our areas is that an Olympic Games in July is neither feasible nor desirable.
“No one wants to see the Games postponed but we cannot hold the event at all costs, certainly not at the cost of athlete safety, and a decision on the Games may become obvious very quickly.”
The British Olympic Association had last week warned they would pull out their athletes if any safety fears remained.
They will hold a conference call on Tuesday with UK Sport and the British Paralympic Association to discuss whether the Olympics and Paralympics should both be delayed.
