Tokyo Olympics Chief Not Ruling Out Cancellation of Summer Games as COVID-19 Cases Rise

(Photo : Takashi Aoyama/Getty Images) TOKYO, JAPAN - JULY 13: (L-R) Tokyo 2020 Games Delivery Officer Hidemasa Nakamura, Tokyo 2020 President Seiko Hashimoto and Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto attend a meeting with IOC President Thomas Bach at the Tokyo 2020 Headquarters on July 13, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan.

The chief executive officer of the Tokyo Olympics' organizing committee is not ruling out the possibility that the Summer Games could still be canceled if COVID-19 cases continue to increase, raising fears among participants of the massive event set to start in a matter of days.

Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto made the shocking statement on Tuesday as more COVID-19 cases were reported among Olympic athletes. Muto reiterated that Tokyo officials would make decisions about the viability of the Olympic Games based on what happens, saying, "We can't predict what will happen with the number of coronavirus cases. So we will continue discussions if there is a spike in cases."

COVID-19 cases rise at the Olympic Village

Muto maintained that all options remain on the table ahead of the start of the Olympics. "We have agreed that based on the coronavirus situation, we will convene five-party talks again." Muto added that "the coronavirus cases may rise or fall, so we will think about what we should do when the situation arises."

Muto's remarks are a far cry from the confident statements expressed by International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach days prior about the state of the Summer Games. Bach said last week that there was "zero" risk that Olympic athletes might transmit the virus to each other during the Games or to Tokyo residents.

A lot has transpired since Bach made that statement, and it is not great news for Tokyo 2020 organizers. At least 67 cases of COVID-19 infections in Japan have been recorded among those accredited for the Tokyo Olympics since July 1, as many athletes and officials started arriving for the Games, organizers said Tuesday. Among those infected were five athletes and five journalists, alongside 17 staff members and 36 contractors.

That figure is concerning for Japan which has recorded more than 840,000 cases and 15,055 deaths since the COVID-19 pandemic started. The host city of Tokyo has been experiencing a fresh surge as well, with 1,387 cases recorded on Tuesday.

Support for Olympics dropping in host nation ahead of Games

Support for the Tokyo Olympics has waned among the Japanese population, with a recent Asahi newspaper poll showing 68 percent of respondents expressing doubt about the ability of Olympic organizers to control coronavirus infections and 55 percent saying they were opposed to the Summer Games going ahead.

That sentiment is not lost on Muto as well as fellow organizing committee president Seiko Hashimoto. They have been cautious with their words, offering countless apologies to a Japanese public that is very much concerned with the Olympics being a superspreader event.

"I really want to apologize from my heart for the accumulation of frustrations and concerns that the public has been feeling towards the Olympics," Hashimoto said in her press conference on Tuesday.

Japanese sponsors of the Olympic Games appeared to have bowed to public pressure, with Panasonic Corp., Fujitsu Ltd., and NEC Corp skipping Friday's opening ceremony. Toyota Motor Corp. had also dropped all its television ads connected to the Games starting last Monday.