Tokyo Olympics Could Be Canceled Altogether if Coronavirus Continues in 2021

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics have been rescheduled to the summer of 2021, but if the coronavirus pandemic remains an issue by then, the entire games will likely be canceled.

Per CNN, Tokyo 2020 President Yoshiro Mori said in a new interview if the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic games can't take place in 2021, "It will be canceled then. The Olympics were canceled in the past for problems like war. We are fighting against an invisible enemy now...The Olympics would be much more valuable than any Olympics in the past if we could go ahead with them after winning this battle. We have to believe this otherwise our hard work and efforts will not be rewarded."

Whether or not the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympic games will take place seems to hinge on whether or not a vaccine will be available by then, according to the President of Japan's Medical Association Dr. Yoshitake Yokokura, who said, "I am not saying that (Japan) should or shouldn't host it, but I expect it would be difficult to do so. I want to believe that (the number of) infected people (in Tokyo) is decreasing. But there is not enough testing being conducted in Japan so it's difficult to assess (if the number of cases have fallen). We need to monitor the situation for another week."

Currently, the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympic games are scheduled to take place July 23 through August 8, 2021 and August 24 through September 5, 2021, respectively.