International Olympic Committee (IOC) Coordination Commission chairman John Coates has claimed the World Health Organization (WHO) has told the body there is "no case" for cancelling or postponing Tokyo 2020 because of the coronavirus outbreak.
Coates claimed the IOC was confident "we'll be able to ensure that the Games go ahead in a way that’s safe for the athletes and spectators" because of cooperation between the Tokyo 2020 virus task force and other authorities involved.
The senior IOC member also insisted most Chinese athletes have been preparing for the Olympics and Paralympic Games overseas, and would therefore not need to be quarantined when they arrive in Japan.
Concerns over the impact of the coronavirus, given the official name of COVID-19 by the WHO, on the Games in the Japanese capital have grown in recent weeks.
The death toll has risen to 1,380, according to Chinese authorities, while there are nearly 64,000 infections in the country.
Japan yesterday reported its first death from the virus, which originated in Wuhan, and there are over 251 cases in the Olympic and Paralympic host nation.
A total of 218 of these are linked to a cruise liner quarantined in a Japanese port.
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