Tokyo '20 Olympics To Go Ahead Despite Coronavirus Fears

Organisers of The Tokyo 2020 Olympics have insisted that the competition will go as plan despite calls made by the Japanese government for major events in the coming weeks to be postponed or cancelled amid coronavirus concerns.

The chances of the Summer Games holding this year had been cast in doubt following the outbreak of COVID-19, with several public events, including football matches, facing entire cancellation or delay in the country already.

But organisers have continually reiterated that Olympics and Paralympics scheduled for the summer are not in danger of being cancelled.

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"We have not thought about it. We have not heard about it. We have made inquiries, and we were told there is no such plan," Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto told reporters.

"Our basic thinking is to conduct the Olympics and Paralympics as planned. That's our assumption."

Muto said organizers would consider how to respond to the call from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Wednesday for organisers of major events in the next two weeks to cancel, postpone or downsize the gatherings to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

"We will make decisions by reviewing events individually," he said.

But he said the torch relay scheduled to begin March 26 in Fukushima and travel across the country would not be cancelled, though he acknowledged adjustments might be necessary.

"We are absolutely not considering cancelling it. But we will think about how we can hold it in ways that won't lead to the spread of the virus, including reducing its scale," he added.

The Olympics are scheduled to begin with an opening ceremony on July 24, with the Paralympics beginning from August 25.