LONDON: Sir Keith Mills, one of the directors of the 2012 Olympics in London, doubts whether the Tokyo Games will go ahead as the coronavirus pandemic rages on around the world.

The Games were scheduled for July and August last year, were shifted forward be cause of the Covid-19 crisis and are due to be run in similar dates later this year.

However Mills told BBC radio: “If I were sitting in the shoes of the organising committee in Tokyo, and thankfully I’m not, I would be making plans for a cancellation.

“I’m sure they have plans for a cancellation but I think they will leave it to absolutely the last minute in case the situation improves dramatically and in case the vaccines roll out faster. It’s a tough call and I wouldn’t like to be in their shoes.”

Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has insisted that preparations are going ahead despite increasing public opposition in the face of an escalation in deaths and infections.

Thomaas Bach, the president of the International Olym;pic Committee, has remained bullish about the Games but even he haas had to concede that a further postponement was inconceivable.

Already the organisers have scaled back plans for the usual super-extravagantly Opening Ceremony.

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