IOC, IPC Refute Media Speculations About Cancellation of Tokyo Olympics

On Thursday, The Times newspaper reported, citing a source in the Japanese ruling coalition, that the country’s leadership had privately concluded that the Olympic Games in Tokyo must be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Japanese government already refuted such speculations earlier in the day.

"The IPC, IOC, Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee and all delivery partners are fully committed and focussed on delivering safe and secure Olympic and Paralympic Games this summer. This position has not changed and has been confirmed once again today by the IOC, Tokyo 2020 and the Japanese government," the IPC said in a statement.

According to the statement, organizers have been developing COVID-19 countermeasures to mitigate risks for all participants of the Olympics, including athletes, stakeholders of the games and the Japanese public.

"In early February, the IOC, IPC and Tokyo 2020 will publish the first editions of Playbooks targeting Games stakeholders. These Playbooks will start to explain exactly how we aim to deliver this summer’s event and outline the personal responsibilities each person attending the Games must follow to ensure safe and secure Games," the IPC added.

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games were scheduled to be held in summer of 2020, however, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the International Olympic Committee to postpone it for a year. A new date for the start of the Tokyo Olympics has been set for July 23, 2021.