US President Donald Trump on Thursday said officials should consider delaying the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games for one year amid the global coronavirus outbreak, saying the event would not be the same without spectators.
The United States is one of the biggest participants in the Games, which are scheduled for July.
Japanese officials have sought to squash speculation that the event could be canceled or postponed amid the global COVID-19 pandemic.
“Maybe they postpone it for a year,” Trump said. “Maybe that’s not possible. I guess it’s never happened with the Olympics.
“If you cancel it, do it a year later. That’s a better alternative rather than having it with no crowd and having empty stadiums all over the place.”
But Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary insists there are no plan to delay the Games.
“This is no change in plans to proceed with preparations,” Suga told reporters Thursday.
The ultimate decision over cancelling the Games will rest with the IOC.
And a decision could be made by the end of May, start of June.
Japan’s Olympic minister Seiko Hashimoto recently revealed that Tokyo’s contract with the IOC states the Olympics are to be held within 2020, which may complicate a postponement.
The World Health Organization announced a pandemic on Wednesday, with 127,000 confirmed cases of the virus in at least 111 countries around the world.
