Coronavirus Outbreak Could Potentially Cause The 2020 Tokyo Olympics To Be Canceled, According To An International Olympic Committee Member

As the #coronavirus continues to spread, health officials are warning of the possible threat of a pandemic.

Now the virus is threatening to have the #2020TokyoOlympics canceled if things don’t turn around soon, according to International Olympic Committee member, Dick Pound.

“You’re probably looking at a cancellation,” Pound said in an interview with Stephen Wade of the Associated Press.

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics are scheduled to begin on July 24 and end on August 9.

However, the decision to cancel will not be able to be decided until May at the earliest.

“In and around that time, I’d say folks are going to have to ask: ‘Is this under sufficient control that we can be confident about going to Tokyo or not?’” he continued. “A lot of things have to start happening. You’ve got to start ramping up your security, your food, the Olympic Village, the hotels. The media folks will be in there building their studios.”

Current statistics show that the coronavirus has so far affected over 80,000 people, with over 2,000 cases being fatal.

According to Bleacher Report, a cancelation for the 2020 Olympics will mark the first “peacetime cancelation” in the history of the Olympics following a cancelation in 1916 due to World War I and 1940 and 1944 games being canceled prior to World War II.

However, Pound remains optimistic about the events moving forward as planned in a message to potential athletes participating in the Tokyo Olympics, stating, “As far as we all know, you’re going to be in Tokyo. All indications are at this stage that it will be business as usual. So keep focused on your sport and be sure that the IOC is not going to send you into a pandemic situation.”

If canceled, the Tokyo Olympics join a growing list of sporting events that have been affected by the coronavirus.