JAPANESE Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said yesterday he and the head of the international Olympic Committee agreed on the idea of delaying the Tokyo Olympics by about one year.

Abe was speaking to reporters after a phone call with IOC President Thomas Bach on postponing the Games amid growing concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.

Tokyo had completed preparations when the virus started spreading across the world.

Despite insisting for months the Games would go ahead as planned, Abe this week said a delay may be unavoidable if the events could not be held in a complete form.

Earlier, USA Swimming and USA Track and Field had already urged the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) to press the IOC for a delay.

The USOPC responded by releasing a carefully worded statement on Monday, saying “We encourage the International Olympic Committee to take all needed steps to ensure the Games can be conducted under safe and fair conditions for all competitors.”

“Our most important conclusion from this broad athlete response is that even if the current significant health concerns could be alleviated by late summer, the enormous disruptions to the training environment, doping controls and qualification process can’t be overcome in a satisfactory manner,” the USOPC said.

Moreover, the Tokyo organizing committee is planning to carry the Olympic flame by car instead of by torchbearers when the Japan leg of the torch relay starts later this week in Fukushima Prefecture, sources close to the matter said yesterday.                             (SD-CGTN)