13 March 2020

Tokyo 2020 chiefs hit back at Donald Trump after he suggests Olympics should be delayed

Japan's Olympic minister has hit back at US President Donald Trump after he suggested the Tokyo Games should be postponed for a year.

Trump told reporters at the White House on Thursday: "I just can't see having no people there. In other words, not allowing people.

"Maybe, and this is just my idea, maybe they postpone it for a year."

But the minister, Seiko Hashimoto, responded to Trump's idea at a press conference today, denying any plans to postpone the Games this summer.

He said: "The IOC and the organising committee are not considering cancellation or a postponement - absolutely not at all."

Any postponement or cancellation of the Olympics would affect 11,000 Olympic and 4,400 Paralympic athletes as they would be forced not to compete.

The only other occasion the Olympics has previously been cancelled was during wartime.

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