Photo: Carl Court/Getty
The head of the Tokyo Olympics organizing committee isn’t ruling out a last-minute cancellation of theTokyo Summer Olympics.
On Tuesday, Tokyo organizing committee chief Toshiro Muto revealed in a press conference that the famed sporting event could still be canceled due to increasingCOVID-19cases in competing athletes, according toReuters.
“We will continue discussions if there is a spike in cases,” he said, per the outlet. “We have agreed that based on the coronavirus situation, we will convene five-party talks again.”
“At this point, the coronavirus cases may rise or fall, so we will think about what we should do when the situation arises,” Muto added.
Man in mask standing near Olympic rings in Tokyo.BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP via Getty
The international event, which was meant to take place in the summer of 2020 but was rescheduled due to the pandemic, has various safety protocols in place, including a ban on all spectators.
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As athletes and organizers from around the world continue to arrive in Tokyo,several have already tested positive for COVID-19.
Nearly 10,000 of the 80,000 unpaid Olympic volunteers previouslypulled out of the event, with many citing COVID-19 concerns, while a recent study found almost 60 percent of people in Japanwant the Summer Olympics to be canceledfor the same reasoning.
To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, visitTeamUSA.org. Watch the Tokyo Olympics beginning July 23rd and the Tokyo Paralympics beginning August 24th on NBC.
source: people.com
