Possible cancellation of the Tokyo Olympics for the first time mentioned

Does the coronavirus endanger the organization and holding of the Tokyo Olympic Games? If few weeks ago the Japanese Prime Minister silenced the rumors of a possible cancellation, a member of CIO however evoked this option yesterday in an interview for the Associated Press Agency.

With more than 80,000 people infected and more than 2,700 deaths, the virus spreads the planet. IOC member since 1978, ex-swimmer of the Canadian team, Dick Pound suggested that a decision should be made within 3 months : "in and around that time, I’d say folks are going to have to ask : ‘Is this under sufficient control that we can be confident about going to Tokyo or not ?."

However, he encouraged the athletes to continue their training : "all indications are at this stage that it will be business as usual. So keep focused on your sport and be sure that the IOC is not going to send you into a pandemic situation.".

The Pound also rules out a possible shift in the deadline : “you just don’t postpone something on the size and scale of the Olympics. There’s so many moving parts, so many countries and different seasons, and competitive seasons, and television seasons. You can’t just say, `We’ll do it in October ”.

More info on : RMC Sport, CNBC, Business Insider, The Time, Eurosport, BBC News, Japan Times.