Fears that the new coronavirus outbreak is on the verge of becoming a global pandemic have stoked concerns about the Tokyo Games and while the International Olympic Committee says there is no “Plan B” doubts remain the event will go ahead as planned.
Five months before the opening ceremony in Tokyo, health authorities around the world are scrambling to contain outbreaks of the flu-like virus which has infected about 80,000 and killed more than 2,700 people, the vast majority in China.
Infections have also spiked in Iran, Italy and South Korea while Japan has recorded some 160 cases of the virus as well as 691 discovered onboard a cruise ship docked south of Tokyo.
Sports have been brought to a virtual standstill across large swathes of Asia, and on Wednesday Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe urged sporting and cultural events be scrapped or curtailed for two weeks as part of containment efforts.
Markets have begun pricing in the risk of a canceled Olympics, with the Dentsu Group’s share price hammered as spooked investors fret about the local ad agency’s high exposure to the Games.
While comments by IOC member Dick Pound on Tuesday stoked concerns about the Games, Japan’s minister in charge of the Olympics sought to quell fears they could be canceled.
“The IOC is preparing for the Tokyo Games as scheduled,” Minister Seiko Hashimoto said in parliament.
In a briefing with reporters, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said he had been told by the IOC that Pound’s comment, that any cancellation decision would be made in May, was not the IOC’s official stance.
