Shinzo Abe, Thomas Bach to speak as fate of Tokyo Olympics hangs in balance

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will hold telephone talks with International Olympic Committee (IOC) chief Thomas Bach later 24 March, the government said, as doubts swirl over the fate of the Tokyo 2020 Games.

The call, which is also expected to feature Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike, organising committee chief Yoshiro Mori and Olympics Minister Seiko Hashimoto, was scheduled for around 8pm local time. (1100 GMT).

The contact comes after the IOC gave itself four weeks to weigh a possible postponement to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics due to the new coronavirus pandemic surging across the world. Canada and Australia have already withdrawn their teams and the influential US Olympic committee has also said postponement was the best way forward. Despite coming under increasing pressure, IOC officials believe a decision would be "premature" four months from the scheduled opening ceremony on 24 July . Abe has said he is committed to hosting a "complete" Olympics but admitted for the first time on Monday: "If that becomes difficult, in light of considering athletes first, it may become inevitable that we make a decision to postpone."

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