Japan, 6th March: According to Tokyo’s official contract with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Japan is permitted to postpone the 2020 Tokyo Games until the end of the year if necessary – in order to overcome concerns that the COVID-19 outbreak may still be an issue in the summer.

Japan has spent at least US$12.5 billion preparing for the Summer Games. However, according to IOC president Thomas Bach, the Games will go on as scheduled in July, despite the on-going COVID-19 outbreak. The right to cancel the Summer Games ultimately belongs to the IOC. If it comes to that, Japan stands to lose billions of dollars of tourist and other Olympic-related revenues.