Tokyo Olympics ‘unlikely’ to happen

Fresh doubt has been poured over the viability of the Tokyo Olympics as Sir Keith Mills the man who ran London 2012, says Olympics are ‘unlikely’ to happen this year.

He believes the games are unlikely to happen unless “vaccinations roll out faster”.

While Tokyo Olympics organisers insist that the games are ‘safe and secure’ and Yoshihide Suga, Japan’s Prime Minister, and the International Olympic Committee are both adamant the games will go ahead, Mills told BBC Radio 5 Live “sitting here and looking at the pandemic around the world, in South America, in North America, in Africa and across Europe, it looks unlikely.

“If I was sitting in the shoes of the organising committee in Tokyo, I would be making plans for a cancellation and I’m sure they have plans for a cancellation.

“I think they will leave it until absolutely the last minute in case the situation improves dramatically, in case the vaccinations roll out faster than we all hope.

“It’s a tough call, I wouldn’t like to be in their shoes. It would be a tragedy for everyone. The knock-on effect of this, not just in Tokyo and Japan but right around the world, shouldn’t be underestimated. It is massive.”

According to the Daily Mail, a Japanese cabinet minister says that the delayed games may not go ahead – although the organising committee have insisted that the idea of postponing again has never been discussed.

The Japanese public’s appetite for the sporting extravaganza has waned, with 77 per cent of respondents in a survey last week saying it should be cancelled or postponed.

Masa Takaya, a spokesperson for Tokyo 2020, said last week that the prospect of another postponement had not even been mentioned.

“To be very clear, we have never discussed another postponement of the games,” Takaya told Sky Sports.

“We have 100 per cent concentration and focus on the delivery of a safe and secure games this summer.

“The Covid situation is of course still an ongoing issue for everyone in the world but we will deliver the games this year, starting July 23.”

The decision whether to go ahead rests with the International Olympic Committee.

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