Tokyo 2020
I have never put Olympics first: Japanese PM Yoshihide Suga
The Japanese Prime Minister, Yoshihide Suga, on Monday said that he ‘never put Olympics first’, amidst the raging debate in the country about the upcoming Tokyo Olympics.
The Japanese Prime Minister, Yoshihide Suga, on Monday said that he 'never put Olympics first', amidst the raging debate in the the country about the upcoming Tokyo Olympics.
This statement from Suga came when he was posed with the question of whether the Olympics would go ahead even if the covid-19 infections spike in the country during a parliamentary committee meeting.
"I've never put Olympics first. My priority has been to protect the lives and health of the Japanese population. We must first prevent the spread of the virus," the PM reportedly said.
The Prime Minister further stated that the cancellation of the Olympics is a call to be taken by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), while the government's role is to just ensure that the Games take place safely.
With the host city of Tokyo under a health emergency until the end of May owing to the covid-19 pandemic, voices demanding the postponement or cancellation of the Olympics have grown stronger. A recent opinion poll conducted in the country showed that a whopping 60% of the Japanese citizens want the Olympics cancelled with less than three months to go for the showpiece event.
Over the course of the past one month, Japan has hosted a total of 11 test events – 4 of which included athletes from foreign countries, without registering a single covid-19 infection amongst the athletes.
