SHOW MUST GO ON

Tokyo Olympic Organizers Say No Plan B for Summer Games Even if Coronavirus Spreads

The Summer Games open in just five months and organizers say they won’t cancel.

Tokyo’s Olympic organizers said Friday that there was no coronavirus “Plan B” for the Summer Games, which open in just five months. Speaking alongside members of the International Olympic Committee in Tokyo, the group fielded nearly a dozen questions about the deadly outbreak, including the presence of China’s 600-strong team and what they will do if the virus spreads further. The group reiterated that they are consulting with the World Health Organization but have no contingency plans to move the Games and no intention to cancel them. John Coates, the head of an IOC inspection team, said he was 100 percent sure the Games would open in Japan on July 24, but he was less certain about who would compete. “We continue also to monitor, particularly the Chinese that will be coming here,” he said. “You’ll find that the Chinese teams are mostly out of China. That’s the athletes and officials.” Japan has had one fatality from the virus so far, but fears remain high over the fate of the 3,700 passengers the government has quarantined on the Diamond Princess cruise ship.