BEVERLY HILLS, April 16, (THEWILL) – On Friday, at a news conference, Tokyo Olympic President Seiko Hashimoto felt the necessity to emphasise that the Olympic Games would not be cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic and the current situation in Japan.
Hashimoto was emphatic in stressing: “There are a lot of concerns, but as the organising committee of Tokyo 2020, we are not thinking about cancelling the Games.”
The 56-year-old pledged that Tokyo would host safe and secure games by taking measures against the COVID-19 pandemic and following very strict health and safety protocols as laid down by local and international health personnel.
This became necessary after comments made by Toshihiro Nikai, Secretary General of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), who claimed on Thursday that the games should be cancelled if “it is impossible.”
As the second highest ranking member of the ruling party, Nikai’s comments on a TV program carried a lot of weight.
He was quoted as saying: “What is the point of the Olympics if it’s responsible for spreading infections? We will have to make a decision at that point.”
It caused the Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga to immediately release a statement, promising that the Japanese government had not changed its position to stage a “safe and secure” Olympics.
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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
