Mar 23 ,2020. 14 minutes ago – 13:41 KYODO NEWS

TOKYO – Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday hinted for the first time at the possibility the Tokyo Olympics may have to be postponed, a day after the International Olympic Committee said it will study various operational plans amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The premier, who has previously said he aims to hold the major sporting event in its “complete form,” told a parliamentary session, “If it is difficult to hold the games in such a way, we have to decide to postpone it, giving top priority to (the health of the) athletes.”

“Although the IOC will make a final decision (on the matter), we are of the same view that cancellation is not an option,” Abe said, while vowing to work closely with the IOC and the Tokyo metropolitan government.

The premier referred to the situation confronting athletes, saying, “I think many of them are in areas where they cannot train properly as the new coronavirus is spreading in the world.”

The IOC on Sunday officially admitted the possibility of pushing back the quadrennial event, saying that it will examine various scenarios, adding that it will finalize discussions “within the next four weeks.”

“These scenarios relate to modifying existing operational plans for the games to go ahead on 24 July 2020, and also for changes to the start date of the games,” the IOC said in a statement.

“(The IOC) clearly stated that cancellation will not happen, and I am glad to share that view,” Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike told reporters. “There are lots of issues, but I would like to discuss possible scenarios over the next four weeks with the IOC and the organizing committee.”

“The Tokyo Games have now another goal, to defeat the novel coronavirus,” she said.

Meanwhile, Olympic minister Seiko Hashimoto told reporters on Monday the Japanese leg of the Tokyo Olympic torch relay scheduled to start from Fukushima Prefecture on Thursday would proceed as planned.

Olympic torchbearers in Japan expressed concerns over the IOC’s new direction.

“Both runners and spectators of the relay would be half-hearted. I wonder whether they will let us run again if (the sporting event) is postponed,” said Yumiko Nishimoto, 66, who is scheduled to run in Fukushima on Thursday as one of the 10,000 torchbearers in Japan.

The 121-day Japanese leg is scheduled to kick off at the J-Village soccer training center, which served as a frontline base of operations to battle the 2011 nuclear crisis caused by the March 11 quake-tsunami disaster that year.

A decision on postponement “should be made before the torch relay starts,” Nishimoto said. “I have mixed feelings as I feel that we are being messed around with.”

“Even if it is postponed, as the government touts the event as the ‘Reconstruction Olympics,’ it is necessary to do the torch relay in Fukushima,” said Haruo Ono, 68, a fisherman who was chosen as a runner after he applied to be a torchbearer to encourage fellow fishermen who are still suffering from reputational damage to their produce from the nuclear disaster.

“I will show the world that Fukushima’s fishermen are working hard,” said Ono. The Japanese government has said it hopes the Summer Games will showcase progress in the region’s recovery.

“I feel sad about the postponement being considered, but I have to bear with the outcome,” said Shitsui Hakoishi, 103, another torchbearer scheduled to run in Tochigi Prefecture.

The global coronavirus pandemic has cast a cloud over the hosting of the Tokyo Olympics from July 24 to Aug. 9 and the Paralympics from Aug. 25 to Sep. 6. In recent days, national Olympic committees in Brazil, Norway and the Netherlands have called for postponements.

Japanese government officials have repeatedly said preparations are under way for the games to go ahead as scheduled and the flame for the Olympics arrived on Friday in Japan.

During a videoconference with other leaders from the Group of Seven industrialized nations earlier in the month, Abe secured support for holding “complete” games, meaning that they should be held with spectators and without any downsizing.

“I think U.S. President (Donald) Trump and other G-7 leaders will support my decision,” Abe said in the parliamentary session.

CR: KYODO NEWS