Coronavirus: Tokyo Olympics not under threat of cancellation because of virus
Last Updated: 03/02/20 11:25am
Japan's OIympics minister says there are no plans to cancel this year's Games because of the coronavirus.
Olympics Minister Seiko Hashimoto said organisers are not considering cancelling the event, which starts on July 24.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also confirmed the government will keep in close touch with all relevant groups to ensure a virus outbreak does not affect this year's event.
"We will keep in close contact with everybody, including the International Olympic Committee and the World Health Organisation, to take appropriate steps and keep the coronavirus from affecting the Olympics," Abe told a parliamentary committee.
The death toll from the coronavirus epidemic in China rose to 361 on Monday and a growing number of countries are reporting cases. Japan has 20 confirmed cases, 17 of which were people who had been to China or are Chinese.
It was confirmed on Sunday that Chinese athletes will have to provide a medical certificate and undergo screening to ensure they are not contagious before they can compete against their Team GB counterparts in the Olympic basketball qualifying matches.
The move comes after Team GB women's basketball team had their qualifiers moved from China to Serbia, following the outbreak of the coronavirus.
