Tokyo Olympics may delay by 1-2 year: organising member

The event may delay due to global outbreak of coronavirus

If the Olympics can't be held in Tokyo this summer due to the global outbreak of the coronavirus, a delay of one or two years would be the most realistic option, a Tokyo Olympic Committee executive board member told the Wall Street Journal. Haruyuki Takahashi, one of about 25 members of the Japanese organising committee, said in an interview with the paper published on Wednesday that the board had not discussed the impact of the virus on the Games, having last met in December, before the epidemic spread.

Takahashi and the organising committee could not immediately be reached for comment. The financial damage from cancelling the Games or holding them without spectators would be too great, Takahashi said, while a delay of less than a year would clash with other major professional sports schedules, according to the paper.