Uncertainty shrouds Tokyo 2020 Olympics amid coronavirus pandemic

Carl Court/Getty Images(LONDON) — As the novel coronovirus pandemic solidifies its grip around the globe, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe acknowledged on Monday that delaying the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo was “unavoidable.”

“If it is difficult to hold in a complete way, a decision of postponement would be unavoidable,” Abe told lawmakers during a parliamentary session in Tokyo.

Abe pushed hard for Tokyo’s selection as the host city during an International Olympic Committee meeting in 2013. Until now, the Japanese prime minister and Olympic organizers have held firm that the Games will kick off as planned on July 24.

Japan