TOKYO (Reuters): Japan is not making any preparations to postpone the 2020 Summer Olympics, the government's top spokesman said on Wednesday (March 18), stressing Tokyo's resolve to host the event as scheduled despite the widening coronavirus outbreak.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the government would continue with preparations to hold the July 24-Aug 9 Games as scheduled, working closely with organisations like the International Olympic Committee .
His comments come amid mounting concerns about whether the Games can proceed as planned, with the rapidly spreading virus panicking financial markets and bringing business and social activity around the world to a standstill. The IOC has remained committed to staging the Tokyo Games as planned, saying on Tuesday after a meeting with international sports federations that measures against the virus were delivering results.
Most Japanese firms trust the Tokyo Games will go ahead as planned, a Reuters poll found, but two-thirds are already bracing for the domestic economy to contract by at least 1% if the epidemic triggers a cancellation.
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