Japan’s government has privately concluded the Tokyo Olympics will have to be cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, The Times have reported.
According to an unnamed senior government source, there “is agreement that the Games, already postponed a year, are doomed”.
“No one wants to be the first to say so but the consensus is that it’s too difficult,” the source said, according to The Times. “Personally, I don’t think it’s going to happen.”
While Japanese authorities and Olympic officials have publicly stated that they are confident the event will go ahead, The Times report claims the Japanese government has set its sights on ensuring the Games will be held in Tokyo in 2032.
It comes as Japan grapples its worst numbers of Covid-19 in recent weeks.
Only five Olympics have ever been cancelled, all during wartime: the 1916, 1940 and 1944 Summer Olympics, and Winter Games in 1940 and 1944.
Japan has spent at least $35 billion preparing for the Olympics.
-More to come.
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