Faster, Higher, Stronger | Tokyo 2020: coronavirus cannot be beaten by Olympic war of words

As one dissenting voice on the organising committee calling for a delay is drowned out, Games presses on for July start

IOC back chief’s ‘full steam ahead’ stance despite WHO reclassifying virus as a pandemic

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A man wearing a face mask walks in front of the Olympic Rings in Tokyo. There are increasing calls to delay the Summer Games. Photo: AFP

Published: 9:00am, 14 Mar 2020Updated: 10:42pm, 14 Mar 2020

When International Olympic Committee member Dick Pound called the coronavirus outbreak “the new war” all was quiet on the Western front.

Times have now changed. A rapid rise in the number of countries reporting cases and the number of those cases has finally led the WHO to label the coronavirus a pandemic. That came on Wednesday.

The same day, organisers of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, which are set to start on July 24, announced that nothing had changed with their preparations.

Tokyo Games organising committee chairman Yoshiro Mori held a press conference where he was unequivocal in the Games going ahead as planned.

Japan and Olympic organisers are at pains to insist this summer's Games in Tokyo are on, despite the new coronavirus outbreak. Photo: AP

“Our basic stance is to proceed with our preparation and to hold a safe Olympics,” Mori said, indicating that the World Health Organisation should take the lead. The IOC announced they fully backed his statement.

Also on Wednesday, Japan’s Olympics Minister Seiko Hashimoto stood in front of a parliamentary committee and said that cancelling or postponing was “inconceivable” and “impossible”.

.css-1m2rp1p{color:#34b8b5;}Faster, Higher, Stronger | Tokyo 2020: coronavirus cannot be beaten by Olympic war of words

Faster, Higher, Stronger | Tokyo 2020: coronavirus cannot be beaten by Olympic war of words