Tokyo Olympics in 2021 in doubt without coronavirus vaccine

The head of the Japan Medical Association (JMA) has added his voice to speculation that the Tokyo Olympics, now due to be held next summer, could again be delayed by the coronavirus pandemic, according to The Guardian.

“Unless an effective vaccine is developed, I think it will be difficult to hold the Olympics next year,” JMA president Yoshitake Yokokura told reporters in Tokyo on Tuesday. “I’m not saying at this point that they shouldn’t be held. The outbreak is not only confined to Japan. It’s a global issue.”

Several health experts have cast doubt on plans to hold the Games next July and August.

The Tokyo Olympics had been scheduled for July 24 – August 9. However, Japan’s organizers and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) agreed in March to postpone the Games by a year as the coronavirus spread across the globe.