Hashimoto Seiko, president of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games organizing committee has ruled out the possibility that the Tokyo Games would be canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
This follows remarks by an executive of Japan’s main governing party, Secretary-General Nikai Toshihiro, who indicated that canceling the Games should be an option if the coronavirus situation worsens.
He later explained that he wants the Games to be a success, but he doesn’t think they should be held no matter what.
The conflicting comments come as Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures have confirmed their highest new infection counts of the coronavirus since the second state of emergency was lifted last month.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government confirmed 543 new cases of the coronavirus in the capital on Sunday, with the seven-day average of daily new cases in Tokyo at 586, up 25 percent from a week ago.
The World Health Organization says that globally, the weekly tally of new cases has nearly doubled over the past two months, and is approaching the highest level so far during the pandemic.
The Tokyo Games Opening Ceremony is on Friday 23 July with the first racing for the ten Olympic events scheduled for Sunday 25 July 2021.
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