Next spring, according to former Olympic minister Toshikai Endo, is a likely deadline for the Games, which are due to open July 23, 2021.
TOKYO — Next spring has been set by former Olympic minister Toshikai Endo as a possible deadline for deciding whether the postponed Tokyo Games can go ahead.
“March next year is a time when we face major questions on whether athletes can be selected,” Endo was quoted as saying by Japanese broadcaster NHK on Friday. “We have to make a judgment in various ways depending on the situation then.”
Endo was speaking at a meeting of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
The Olympics are due to open on July 23, 2021, followed by the Paralympics on Aug.24. The games had been scheduled for this year but were postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“If the global coronavirus is not over by (next spring), particularly if the situation does not allow for the selection of athletes, (holding the games) would be quite difficult,” Endo was quoted as saying by the Japanese newspaper Sankei.
