Tokyo Olympic Chief Reiterates: No Change in Plans for Olympics Due to COVID-19

As cases of COVID-19 continue to rise globally and the World Health Organization (WHO) today declared the novel coronavirus a pandemic, organizers for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics reiterated that the Games will go on as planned.

Yosohiro Mori, the Tokyo Olympics Chief, said that organizers are not considering changes in the plan for the Olympics to run this summer. This runs against comments made by Tokyo organizer Haruyuki Takahashi to the Wall Street Journal published yesterday; Takahashi told the WSJ that if the Olympics can’t go on due to coronavirus, the most realistic option would be to delay the Games for 1-2 years. Takahashi, one of 25 members of the Tokyo Olympic Committee, also said that the board hasn’t met since December nor have they discussed the virus’s potential impact on the Games.

But Mori, according to The Guardian, reiterated top organizers’ stance on keeping the Games as planned. He said the organizer who suggested the delay, Takahashi, has since apologized for those comments.

“It is our basic stance that we press ahead with preparation for a safe and secure Olympics,” said Mori. “We are not at all thinking about changing courses or plans.”

Mori’s position is in line with IOC president Thomas Bach‘s comments last week in support of keeping the Games planned as they are.

Meanwhile, senior IOC figures will be in Olympia tomorrow to see the Olympic torch be lit as it begins touring through Greece and Japan before landing in Tokyo for the Opening Ceremony, beginning July 24.

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Ol' Longhorn
4 years ago

Takahashi shouldn’t have apologized for his comments. He apparently is the only one with brain synapses firing.

ERVINFORTHEWIN
Reply to  Ol' Longhorn
4 years ago

yep , agreed

Ol' Longhorn
4 years ago

Well, surprised no one has brought up the effect of COVID-19 on the actual athletes. The attack rate is high. Many athletes will (U.S., Mexico, Canada, Europe) or have (Asia) had it. The U.S. athletes, since we’re the latecomer to the COVID-19 party, will likely be impacted the most, since they’re likely to get it in the next two months in the lead up to U.S. OTs. One swimmer gets it, his entire lane and neighboring lanes will too. Time to turn the O’Connell Center in G-ville into a Bubble Boy thing.

Justin Thompson
Reply to  Ol' Longhorn
4 years ago

Not sure it works that way in the pool, but would be interested to see how much it spreads on the Jazz/Thunder NBA teams.
https://swimswam.com/cdc-no-indication-that-covid-19-can-spread-to-humans-through-treated-pools/

Ol’ Longhorn
Reply to  Justin Thompson
4 years ago

How many times have you been hanging on the wall during repeats and someone coughs? Lots of people train with a cold. And they’d be a foot or two away from your face as your gasping for air. That would just amplify the viral dose inhaled.

Samesame
4 years ago

Btw – Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson are now in a Gold Coast Hospital with Coronavirus .

Admin
Reply to  Samesame
4 years ago

And the NBA has suspended its season while it makes a plan to go forward. That’s the most significant development for the future of the NCAA Championship events.

Taa
Reply to  Braden Keith
4 years ago

The nba thing is a bad sign. I am still applying the Disneyland test. Disney Tokyo is currently closed but in California and France it’s still open

Swimcoachned
Reply to  Taa
4 years ago

But is the Waffle House still open?

ERVINFORTHEWIN
Reply to  Swimcoachned
4 years ago

For real great waffles , come to Belgium . WE GOT the Best ever 😀

pau88
4 years ago

not going to happen.. #tokyo2021

Gheko
4 years ago

Believe that in July

S Soedel
4 years ago

We’ll know in about a month whether the Games are tenable or … untenable.

Troyy
4 years ago

I’m becoming less and less hopeful that the Olympics will go ahead even if they are maintaining a “full steam ahead” attitude at this stage. 😢

run-dmc
Reply to  Troyy
4 years ago

This will all blow over by June. People are overreacting. For people under 60, the death rate is very low.

We can’t stop living our lives because of a virus.

The next virus that comes along in 2-3 years will be worse than this one. We just need to learn new (clean) habits.

Don’t stop believing.

Samesame
Reply to  run-dmc
4 years ago

In Italy, the doctors are having to choose who to treat .

RUN-DMC
Reply to  Samesame
4 years ago

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear” – 1 John 4:18

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.

It’s time to be careful – not time to panic.

We all need to make sure we know where we’re going when we die. Eventually, we all will die. I just happen to believe that we will make it through 2020.

A simple way to know you’re saved:
https://calvarychapelkaneohe.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/ABCS-OF-SALVATION.pdf

Greg
4 years ago

They will keep claiming the Olympics are going on as scheduled until of a sudden we find out it has been delayed or canceled.

Troyy
Reply to  Greg
4 years ago

Exactly. With the way things are escalating at the moment I don’t hold much hope for the Olympics anymore.

Awsi Dooger
Reply to  Greg
4 years ago

I’ll stick with my prediction here from about a month ago that the Games won’t go as scheduled. Situational influence is everything. Over the next 2 months there will be an explosion of reported cases in the United States, with death numbers steadily rising and events of all description being canceled. Heck, we are already infancy stages of that. The announced late May timetable to make a decision seems to be the worst imaginable in terms of salvaging the Games as planned. No chance we’ll be out of the woods and able to assess. Stock markets will continue to plunge. Everyone will have examples in their own lives of canceled events. Then simultaneously we’ll supposed to say…oh sure, the largest… Read more »

Justin Thompson
Reply to  Awsi Dooger
4 years ago

I agree, the NBA suspended their season after a player tested positive. Market is down 30% which is a huge overreaction at this point. Now that everything is actually shutting down it’s going to start hitting people in the pay check since not everyone can work from home and the market will get penalized again.

Corn Pop
Reply to  Awsi Dooger
4 years ago

LMAO Tom Hanks & wife . We’ll have to stop Celeb Nation coming into the country .

Ol' Longhorn
Reply to  Corn Pop
4 years ago

LOL. I thought you said Caeleb Nation.

Corn Pop
Reply to  Ol' Longhorn
4 years ago

No golds for him . From maybe 7 to 0.

About Karl Ortegon

Karl Ortegon

Karl Ortegon studied sociology at Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT, graduating in May of 2018. He began swimming on a club team in first grade and swam four years for Wesleyan.

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