Japan PM, IOC chief to speak as Olympics hangs in balance
- Country:
- Japan
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will hold telephone talks with International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach later Tuesday, the government said, as doubts swirl over the fate of the Tokyo 2020 Games. The call, which was also expected to feature Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike, organising committee chief Yoshiro Mori and Olympics Minister Seiko Hashimoto, was scheduled for around 8pm local time (1100 GMT).
The contact comes after the IOC gave itself four weeks to weigh a possible postponement to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics due to the new coronavirus pandemic surging across the world. Canada and Australia have already withdrawn their teams and the influential US Olympic committee has also said postponement was the best way forward.
Despite coming under increasing pressure, IOC officials believe a decision would be "premature" four months from the scheduled opening ceremony on July 24. Abe has said he is committed to hosting a "complete" Olympics but admitted for the first time on Monday: "If that becomes difficult, in light of considering athletes first, it may become inevitable that we make a decision to postpone."
(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
ALSO READ
"We'll just move on": Verstappen reflects on Red Bull's brake issue, quashes concerns for Japanese GP
Japanese drivers try to break through in Formula 1 but face linguistic and geographical barriers
Japanese leader visits new chip factory, stressing ties with Taiwan and support for key technology
Motor racing-Verstappen takes pole at Japanese GP for third year in a row
Biden and Japanese PM unite for stronger alliance during White House visit