By Emre Asikci
ISTANBUL (AA) - The head of the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee said that it is “absolutely impossible” to postpone this year’s Summer Olympics due to the novel coronavirus.
"Having even a slight sense of uncertainty impacts everything. All I can say is that we will go ahead with our preparations," Yoshiro Mori said in an event organized by the Kyodo news agency.
"There will always be morning even after a long night. Let's work together to overcome this major challenge," he added.
Japan said the games will proceed as planned in July this year, followed by the Paralympic Games in August, with strict restrictive measures in place.
Last December, the country expanded its budget for the Olympic Games to 1.64 trillion yen ($15.7 billion), raising it by $2.8 billion.
The Tokyo Olympics were supposed to take place in July 2020 before being postponed due to the pandemic.
The games were rescheduled for July 23-Aug. 8, 2021, while the Paralympic Games will take place on Aug. 24-Sept. 5, 2021.