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Coronavirus pandemic

Tokyo Olympics could be postponed to late 2020 over coronavirus threat

Earlier, the International Olympic Committee indicated that preparation for the Olympics goes according to schedule

© AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko

MOSCOW, March 3. /TASS/. Terms of contract allow postponing the Olympic and the Paralympic Games in Tokyo until the end of 2020, says Seiko Hashimoto, Minister for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, according to Reuters report.

On Monday, the Daily Mail reported that the 2020 Olympics might take place without spectators over the coronavirus threat.

“The contract calls for the Games to be held within 2020. That could be interpreted as allowing a postponement,” Hashimoto noted.

Earlier, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) indicated that preparation for the Olympics goes according to schedule, and cancellation was not on the table. The Olympics are due in Tokyo, between July 24 and August 9.

Read also

IOC: Preparations for 2020 Summer Olympics in Japan are in line with schedule

Currently, there are almost 1,000 people infected with the coronavirus in Japan, 12 people died. The vast majority of the infected are passengers and crew of the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which the last crew group abandoned Sunday.

In China, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, more than 2,900 people have died, 80,000 have been infected and another 47,200 have recovered. Besides China, major coronavirus outbreaks have been reported in Italy and South Korea. Cases of patients infected with the novel coronavirus have been confirmed in more than 70 countries, including Russia.

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