Postponing the Tokyo Olympics over the coronavirus pandemic may become "inevitable", Japan's prime minister conceded Monday, after the International Olympic Committee said a delay was being considered as pressure grows from athletes and sports bodies.
The comments from Shinzo Abe were his first acknowledgement that the 2020 Games may not open as scheduled on July 24, as the novel coronavirus marches across the globe, causing unprecedented chaos.
Canada's Olympic and Paralympic committees meanwhile announced they will not send teams to the Games if they are held this summer, citing the health of their athletes and the general public.
And Australia's Olympic committee told athletes to prepare for a Tokyo Olympics in the northern-hemisphere summer of 2021.
"It's clear the Games can't be held in July," Australian chef de mission Ian Chesterman said.
For weeks, Japan and Olympic officials have held the line that preparations are moving ahead to hold the Games as scheduled, but there has been increasing pressure from sports federations and athletes whose training has been thrown into turmoil.
On Monday, Abe told parliament that Japan was still committed to hosting a "complete" Olympic Games, but added, "If that becomes difficult, in light of considering athletes first, it may become inevitable that we make a decision to postpone."
"Cancellation is not an option," Abe said, echoing comments from IOC chief Thomas Bach, who ruled out scrapping the Games, saying it "would not solve any problem and would help nobody".
The IOC has also shifted its position on the Games, issuing a statement on Sunday saying it was stepping up planning for different scenarios, including postponement.
It said it would hold "detailed discussions" on the "worldwide health situation and its impact on the Olympic Games, including the scenario of postponement". A decision should come "within the next four weeks", the body added.
"Human lives take precedence over everything, including the staging of the Olympic Games," Bach wrote in an open letter to athletes.
'Many, many more challenges'
But the IOC warned that the logistics of postponing the Olympic Games were extremely complicated, with venues potentially unavailable, millions of hotel nights already booked and a packed international sports calendar.
The IOC is responsible for making any final decision on the Olympic Games, and has come under increasing pressure as the coronavirus crisis grows, with more than 14,300 deaths worldwide by Sunday, according to an AFP tally.
The virus has already had an impact, with qualifiers cancelled and events to celebrate the Olympic torch arrival and relay scaled back.
