JAPANESE GOVERNMENT REFUTES REPORTS ABOUT PRIVATE DECISION ON CANCELING TOKYO OLYMPICS

22 JAN 2021

TOKYO: Japanese Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Manabu Sakai refuted on Friday reports about an alleged privately made decision by the cabinet on canceling the Summer Olympics in Tokyo over the coronavirus pandemic, reported Sputnik news agency.

On Thursday, The Times newspaper reported citing a source in the Japanese ruling coalition that the country’s leadership had privately concluded that the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo must be canceled and wanted to submit a bid to host the 2032 games.

“I want to strongly reject that as this is not true,” Sakai said, as quoted by the Kyodo news agency.

The International Olympic Committee said in late March that the 2020 Summer Olympics would be postponed for a year over the pandemic. Currently, the games are scheduled for July 23-August 8. - Bernama