Tokyo Olympics in doubt for 2021 without Covid-19 vaccine (updated)

TOKYO, 28 April 2020:

If an effective vaccine against Covid-19 is not developed, it will be extremely difficult to hold the Olympic Games in 2021, warned the president of the Japan Medical Association (JMA) today.

Yoshitake Yokokura reviewed the tools Japan has at its disposal to combat the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and referred to the decision taken by the Tokyo 2020 organisers to postpone the Olympic Games, originally scheduled to begin this year on July 24.

The Games are now scheduled to begin on 23 July 2021, which the organisers believe would provide sufficient time to deal with disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

“Unless an effective vaccine is developed, I think it will be difficult to hold the Olympics next year,” Yokokura said at a video press conference from the headquarters of the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan in Tokyo.

“I am not saying that Japan should or shouldn’t host the Olympics, but that it would be difficult to do so.”

The JMA president expressed the need for accelerated global efforts to develop better drugs to halt the spread of the novel coronavirus as well as the development of an effective vaccine.

But Yokokura avoided clarifying whether JMA was opposed to the holding of the Olympic Games from 23 July 2021 if a vaccine is not available by then.

He explained that he could not offer an opinion on this without knowing the global situation in the run-up to the Games, as while Japan may have controlled the spread of the novel coronavirus, the situation in other countries would also have to be taken into account.

Yokokura’s warning comes about a week after Japanese infectious diseases specialist Kentaro Iwata said he did not believe the Olympic Games could be held in the summer of 2021 as planned.

“Holding (the) Olympics needs two conditions, one: controlling Covid-19 in Japan and (two) controlling Covid-19 everywhere, because you have to invite the athletes and the audience from all over the world,” Iwata said during an online press conference.

“Japan might be able to control this disease by next summer, I wish we could, but I don’t think that would happen everywhere on Earth.”

Covid-19 cases in Japan have risen progressively since the sporting event was postponed to about 13,613 infected and 407 deaths, according to Japanese public broadcaster NHK.

Separately, Tokyo 2020 president Yoshiro Mori was categorical when asked by the Nikkan Sports daily whether the Games could be delayed until 2022 if the pandemic remains a threat next year, replying: “No.”

“In that case, it’s cancelled.”

Mori noted the Games had been cancelled previously only during wartime, and compared the battle against coronavirus to “fighting an invisible enemy”.

If the virus is successfully contained, “we’ll hold the Olympics in peace next summer”, he added. “Mankind is betting on it.”

– EFE