TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan doubled down on its pledge to host the Tokyo Olympics this year and reports were flatly denied Friday of cancellation, in a move that is unlikely to keep public fear at bay. on the occurrence of a global pandemic.
While much of Japan is in a state of emergency as a result of the third wave of COVID-19 infections, Tokyo organizers have vowed to go ahead with the Games scheduled to open on July 23 after their postponed in March last year.
A government spokesman said there was “no truth” in a report in the Times that Japan was now aiming to reschedule the event to 2032.
“We will clearly reject the report,” Deputy Cabinet Secretary Manabu Sakai said at a news conference on Friday.
The Tokyo 2020 organizing committee also denied the report, saying its partners included the Japanese government and the International Olympic Committee “full focus” on bringing hosting the games as expected.
In early international comments, the Olympic Committees of Australia and the United States said they were preparing for the Games as planned.
“Unfortunately, I have to face rumors that the Tokyo Olympics will be unfounded, rumors that will only create more anxiety for athletes,” Australia committee chief executive Matt Carroll told reporters. in Sydney on Friday.
“The Tokyo Games are on. The flame will be lit on July 23, 2021.”
The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) is run by IOC punter for the Tokyo Games John Coates.
Olympic committees from the United States and Canada wrote on Twitter that they had not received any information indicating that the Games would not have taken place as planned.
Japan has been hit harder by the pandemic than many other advanced economies, but recent increases in cases have forced it to close its borders to non-resident foreigners and a state of emergency in Name Tokyo and its major cities.
About 80% of people in Japan do not want the Games to be held in the summer, recent polls show, for fear that athletes will spread the virus further .
In an interview ahead of Friday’s report, Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto said he was cautiously optimistic that a successful release of COVID-19 vaccines could help kick-start the world’s biggest sporting event.
The Olympic Games represent a major milestone for Japan and its protagonist, Yoshihide Suga, who has said the event would bring “hope and confidence” to the world. Suga reiterated Friday that it would go ahead as expected.
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach confirmed his commitment to hosting the Games this year in an interview with Kyodo News on Thursday.
“We have no reason at this point to believe that the Tokyo Olympics will not open on July 23 in an Olympic stadium in Tokyo,” Bach told Kyodo.