Coronavirus situation needs monitoring and IOC is doing their job: Abhinav Bindra

Amid coronavirus outbreak, former Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra on Wednesday said that the situation needs to be carefully monitored and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is doing their job.

"Coronavirus situation is being monitored by the IOC... It is a situation which has to be monitored and which the body is doing, it will only develop over time," Bindra told ANI.

"The Olympic games are scheduled for July 24th opening ceremony. So, there is still time, it is a situation which has to be monitored and a decision cannot be made today. The situation has to be monitored carefully," he added.

Earlier on March 3, IOC Executive Board said they have already created a joint task force which involves IOC, Tokyo 2020, the host city of Tokyo, the government of Japan and the World Health Organization (WHO) to tackle to situation.

The body further added that they created the joint task force in mid-February and will continue to follow the advice of WHO.

"The IOC EB heard a report on all the measures taken so far to address the coronavirus situation, which was followed by a comprehensive discussion. A joint task force had already been created in mid-February, involving the IOC, Tokyo 2020, the host city of Tokyo, the government of Japan and the World Health Organization (WHO). The IOC EB appreciates and supports the measures being taken, which constitute an important part of Tokyo's plans to host safe and secure Games," IOC had said in a statement.

The Games are scheduled to commence from July 24 and will conclude on August 9, 2020.