Coronavirus spread could threaten Tokyo Olympics

Tokyo Olympic Games could be cancelled, if Coronavirus is not efficiently controlled, said Dick Pound, a senior member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), amid alarming number of confirmed Coronavirus cases across the globe.
Pound told AP that Tokyo Olympics Organisers will have two or three months to decide whether to cancel or postpone the event, based on COVID-19 developments.
“It’s a big, big, big decision and you just can’t take it until you have reliable facts on which to base it,” commented Pound, adding that Coronavirus “is the new war and you have to face it. 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?'”
While Japan’s cases are increasing, leading to the postponement of the domestic football tournament, until at least next month, Japan’s government spokesperson Yoshihide Suga and local authorities said Olympics will go ahead as planned.
A possible cancellation of the Tokyo Olympics, which are expected to kick-off on 24 July, would mean huge financial losses for the host city, which has spent more than €11.5 billion on preparations for the games.
However, experts stress that is more likely that athletes and spectators refuse to attend the major sports event, if the number of cases continues to grow.