Saturday afternoon, President Donald Trump and the White House Coronavirus Task Force met with the media to discuss the COVID-19 outbreak and the steps being taken to curb the spread. While there were several questions about closing the border and the impact that the coronavirus has on those that rely on their hourly wage, one reporter wanted to know about the upcoming Summer Olympics. They asked Trump about potentially postponing or canceling the 2020 Tokyo Games.
The president responded by explaining that he has not been involved in this decision-making process. The Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzล Abe, will be the one charged with choosing to either continue with the upcoming games or potentially cancel them due to the coronavirus outbreak and concerns over health and safety. As he explained, Trump knows that the venue is ready to go, but he is staying out of the discussion. He doesn’t want to influence Prime Minister Abe.
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“Prime Minister Abe has a big decision to make,” said Trump, regarding Japan potentially postponing or canceling the 2020 Summer Olympics due to the #coronavirus outbreak pic.twitter.com/abnAUjjwVV
โ QuickTake by Bloomberg (@QuickTake) March 21, 2020
“[Japanese] Prime Minister Abe has a big decision to make,” Trump said during a Saturday press briefing. “They’ve built one of the most beautiful venues I’ve ever seen…It’s his decision and I know he is going to make it soon, I don’t know what it’s going to be and I didn’t think I should be influencing it.”
There have been questions in recent weeks about whether the 2020 Tokyo Games will continue or if they will be canceled due to the coronavirus outbreak. The plan as of March 3 is for the event to take place in late July and early August. The International Olympic Committee has considered calling the games off but has not made that decision.
“For us, the games are going ahead on the 24th of July, and we confidently expect to deliver them on that date,” Adams said about the Olympics, per CBS Sports. “All the advice we’ve been given is that that can go ahead.”
The Olympics are scheduled to start on July 24 and run through Aug. 9. The IOC has told athletes to continue training as if they will be heading to Tokyo for the upcoming competitions. The games could ultimately be canceled, but Trump will not be influencing that decision.
(Photo Credit: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
