Mar 23 , 2020. 16 minutes ago – 17:01 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.

Tokyo Olympic organizing committee President Yoshiro Mori said he supports the IOC’s decision to review the existing plan to hold the games from July 24, adding the two organizations have agreed to hold discussions to closely examine possible scenarios.

Abe, 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.”

“This applies not just to our country, it is important that all participating nations can participate in good condition,” he said.

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.

Speaking at a press conference, organizing committee CEO Toshiro Muto said reviewing the possibilities including postponement is “not easy” and no decisions have been made.

Mori said some of the challenges organizers will face in terms of postponement include handling the costs of delaying and the availability of venues.

Meanwhile, Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike told reporters, “(The IOC) clearly stated that cancellation will not happen, and I am glad to share that view.”

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

Mori said local organizers will decide in the coming days whether to go ahead with the opening of the domestic leg of the torch relay in Fukushima Prefecture on Thursday, as developments surrounding the coronavirus pandemic have been changing rapidly.

Mori added that he was told by IOC President Thomas Bach that the Japanese organizers have the authority to make decisions about the domestic leg of the torch relay.

Muto and Olympics minister Seiko Hashimoto each said Monday the relay will proceed as planned for the moment.

Mori also revealed that Abe is now reluctant to attend the kick-off ceremony since the Japanese government has been requesting people refrain from holding large events in order to prevent the spread of the virus.

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.”

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