Mar 22, 2020 - Sports

Abe says Tokyo may have to postpone Olympic Games over coronavirus

People wear face masks as they take pictures in front of the Olympic Rings at the Odaiba Seaside Park in Tokyo on March 6

Odaiba Seaside Park in Tokyo, Japan. Photo: Philip Fong/AFP via Getty Images

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the Tokyo Olympics may have to be postponed if the Games cannot run in "complete form" because of the novel coronavirus outbreak, the Japan Times reports.

Why it matters: This is the first time Abe has made such a statement. The International Olympic Committee said in a statement Sunday it would "step up its scenario-planning" for the event and was in talks with the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee and Japanese authorities "to complete its assessment of the rapid development of the worldwide health situation and its impact on the Olympic Games, including the scenario of postponement."

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