Cancelling 2020 Olympics ‘unthinkable’, says Tokyo Guv

Tokyo:  Hours after the World Health Organisation declaring the ongoing coronavirus outbreak as a “pandemic”, Tokyo City Governor Yuriko Koike has stated that the announcement will have an impact on the Olympic Games but cancelling the prestigious quadrennial event is “unthinkable”.

“It can’t be said that the announcement of a pandemic would have no impact… But I think cancellation is unthinkable,” Yuriko Koike told reporters on Thursday.

With each passing day, more and more doubts are being raised over the Tokyo Games slated to be held from July 24 to August 9 over the novel coronavirus which has made it footprints across the world.

Globally, over 1,00,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus have been reported till now and more than 4,000 people have lost their lives.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) had earlier said that it is not considering moving the Tokyo Olympics and has no “contingency plans” despite concerns related to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. It had also stated that it is coordinating closely with the WHO, which has now officially classified the outbreak as a “pandemic”.

In January, organisers of the Tokyo 2020 had said that the Games would not be cancelled because of the coronavirus outbreak.

In India itself, more than 60 confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported so far. However, not a single person has lost life because of infectious disease.

(IANS)