Japan's government has privately concluded the Tokyo Olympics will have to be cancelled because of the coronavirus, The Times reported on Friday, citing an unnamed senior member of the ruling coalition.
The government is now focused on securing the games for Tokyo in the next available year in 2032, the newspaper said.
This comes in contrast to the Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga saying that the Olympics is "proof of human victory against the coronavirus."
While the President of the Tokyo Olympic Committee recently said they're committed to making sure the games will open.
The Games were postponed from their original date of July 2020.
The Japanese Government has already spent over $25 billion preparing for the Olympics with the majority of the public now against the event going ahead.
Two recent polls show that 80 percent of Japanese people surveyed think the Olympics should be cancelled or postponed, or believe they will not take place as COVID-19 cases surge in Japan.
The New Zealand Olympic Committee came out in support of the games on Friday morning saying they're expecting a vastly different event.
"Here we are six months out from the games, knowing they're going ahead is exciting," New Zealand Olympic Committee Kereyn Smith says "The IOC and Tokyo Olympics Committee are committed to their delivery of the games in July 2021, as there is no plan b."
"For our sports and athletes, we're really excited about that.
"The Olympic Games will be a vastly different event from what we're used to.
"We need to ensure that athletes are safe and secure and this will require the strict implementation of a wide range of countermeasures."
More to come.
Reuters/Newshub
