Tokyo Olympics will go ahead, says Japan’s prime minister

Japanese Prime Minister  Shinzo Abe said that the Olympics will take place as scheduled in Tokyo this summer.

“We will overcome the spread of the infection and host the Olympics without problem, as planned,” Abe said.

The final decision, however, will be taken by the International Olympic Committee, Abe added. The IOC’s position, so far, is full speed ahead for the opening ceremony on July 24.

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the world sporting calendar has seen a host of postponements and cancellations for the upcoming weeks.

Japan has had over 1,400 cases of COVID-19 and 28 deaths but Abe is not yet calling a state of emergency after discussions with experts.

“At present, I assess the situation as there is no need to declare a state of emergency, Abe said.

“The experts evaluated the current situation. [The outbreak] is holding up to a certain extent and has not progressed to an explosive rise of infection spread.

“I would like to take necessary and sufficient economic and financial policies without delay, while carefully monitoring trends in the global economy and anticipating various possibilities.”