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Japan’s Olympic Minister: Tokyo Games Could Be Pushed Back to End of 2020

The current plan would see the Games begin on July 24, and the Paralympics on Aug. 25.

Japan’s Olympic minister hinted Tuesday that the Tokyo Games could be pushed back to much later in the year, saying that the contract to hold the Games only specifies that it has to be held some time during 2020. The coronavirus outbreak has been blamed for 12 deaths in Japan, where schools and sports competitions have been almost entirely shut down. The Olympic minister, Seiko Hashimoto, implied the Games could be held later in the year to allow more time for the outbreak to die down. The existing plan would see the Games begin on July 24, and the Paralympics in August. “The IOC has the right to cancel the games only if they are not held during 2020,” Hashimoto said Tuesday. “This can be interpreted to mean the games can be postponed as long as they are held during the calendar year.” Asked if she believed the Olympics should be held even if the coronavirus outbreak keeps getting worse, Hashimoto responded: “We are making the utmost effort so that we don’t have to face that situation.”