Postponement is 'realistic option' now, says Tokyo Olympic Organising Committee

As the pressure mounts to postpone the Olympics due to the coronavirus pandemic, Yoshiro Mori, the president of the Tokyo Olympic Organising Committee has said that postponing the event is not the first choice of action, but it is indeed a realistic option.

Over the past weeks, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has maintained its stand of looking to going ahead with the games as planned, but with coronavirus pandemic bringing the world to a halt, the fate of the biggest sporting event hangs in the balance.

"Postponement isn't our first course of action but we cannot not consider it as a realistic option either," CNN quoted Mori as saying on Monday.

On Sunday, the IOC Committee gave itself a four-week deadline to make a decision regarding the postponement of the games.

The Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also said a decision to postpone can be taken if the games are not in a position to be held in complete form.

Earlier today, Canada and Australia send that they would not be sending their athletes this year because of the risks associated with the COVID-19.

The Tokyo Olympics are slated to be held from July 24-August 9 this year.