The Japanese government has denied information about the allegedly tacit decision to cancel the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Deputy Secretary General of the Government of Japan Manabu Sakai said that the question of holding the Olympics will still be considered. His words are quoted by RIA Novosti.
“I want to categorically refute this, as it is not true,” Sakai said, commenting on the Times publication on the cancellation of the Summer Olympics due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sakai added that a decision will be made later on whether to hold the Olympics or not. However, up to this point, the government intends to “properly prepare for the conduct,” he concluded.
Earlier, the Times, citing a senior government source, reported that the Japanese authorities had tacitly concluded that the Tokyo Olympics, which had been postponed until the summer of 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, had to be canceled. The source said that Tokyo is looking for an opportunity to announce the cancellation of the Olympics “without losing face.”
Before that, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) refused to cancel the Tokyo Olympics.
The fact that the Summer Olympics 2020 was postponed until 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic became known on March 24. The director of the organizing committee of the Games, Haruyuki Takahashi, admitted the possibility of re-postponing the Olympic Games. At the same time, he stressed that it is impossible to completely cancel the Games, as this would deal a huge blow to the economy of Japan and the world.
