In response to the suggestion put forward by US President Trump the day before to postpone the Tokyo Olympic Games for one year, the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee and the Japanese government both said on the 13th that the plan to hold the Olympic Games on time had not changed.
Xinhua News Agency, Tokyo, March 13 (Reporter Prince Jiang) in response to the suggestion put forward by US President Trump the day before to postpone the Tokyo Olympic Games for one year, the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee and the Japanese government both said on the 13th that, the plan to hold the Olympic Games on time has not changed.
Japanese Olympic Minister Yamamoto said at the press conference after the cabinet meeting on the same day: “I understand President Trump’s speech, but neither the IOC nor the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee considered postponing or canceling the Olympic Games. For the safe opening on July 24, all preparations are proceeding as planned.”
Japan Broadcasting Association (NHK) reported that Tokyo Olympic organizing committee also issued a statement expressing “hope” to cooperate closely with the Japanese government, Tokyo municipal government and other institutions, in order to ensure the opening of the Olympic Games as planned, preparations will continue. The report also said that the organizing committee will pay close attention to the development of the epidemic and listen to the suggestions of the World Health Organization.
Trump told reporters at the White House the day before: “Let me say, maybe it should be postponed for one year.” He also said: “I think it is better to cancel or postpone it for one year than to hold it in an empty venue.”
However, he also said that Japanese organizers were “very smart and would make their own decisions”. He also said that he would not put forward the above proposal to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
NHK reported that Abe held a telephone meeting with Trump on the morning of 13th Tokyo time, but did not disclose whether the two sides talked about delaying the Olympic Games.
The Torch of Tokyo Olympic Games was lit in Ancient Olympia, Greece on the 12th and began an 8-day transmission in Greece. Tokyo Olympic organizing committee will hold the departure ceremony of the torch special plane at Tokyo Haneda Airport on the 18th. On the 19th, the Greek Olympic Committee and the Japanese Olympic Committee held the torch handover ceremony in Athens. On the 20th, the special plane carrying the torch returned to Miyagi prefecture in northeastern Japan, the Olympic organizing committee will hold the torch arrival ceremony.
International Olympic Committee President Bach said at the torch lighting ceremony on the 12th that he would not “guess” about the impact of the epidemic situation on the Olympic Games. He said that although the Olympic Games were facing great difficulties, but I still believe that the Olympic Games will be held as scheduled.
In the past few days, due to the deterioration of the epidemic situation in Europe and the United States, the pressure on Tokyo to host the Olympic games as scheduled suddenly increased. Two days ago, Takahashi Takahashi, a member of the executive committee of Tokyo Olympic organizing committee, said publicly, I hope the Olympic Games will be postponed for one to two years. The chairman of the Olympic organizing committee, Yoshiro Mori, had to hold an emergency conference to clarify rumors and continue to express his determination to hold the Olympic games as scheduled. Japanese government spokesman and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga also spoke the day before to express the support of the Japanese government for the timely holding of the Olympic Games.
Japan’s Kyodo news agency quoted relevant experts as saying on the 13th that it was very difficult to cancel and postpone the Olympic Games because of the investment involving 28 billion US dollars. The best choice was to let the games “go behind closed doors, at the same time, reduce the scale of the competition and cancel the competitions that athletes have close contact with, including judo and wrestling.
The expert also said that the global epidemic must be controlled by June at the latest, otherwise it will be difficult for the Olympic Games to be held as scheduled.