US President Joe Biden. AP=Yonhap News
US President Joe Biden said that it should be based on science as to whether to hold the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympic Games this year.
According to foreign media such as Kyodo News on the 8th, President Biden said in a radio interview held the day before during the halftime of the U.S. Pro Football (NFL) Super Bowl, “Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide is working hard to hold the game safely. “Although, “whether it will be held should be based on science.”
“It hurts to imagine that players who have been working hard for the Olympic Games for four years will suddenly lose their chance to play,” he said. “I am looking forward to the event, but I don’t know if it’s safe enough to hold it.”
This is the first time President Biden has made an official statement regarding the Tokyo Olympics. On the 3rd, White House spokesman Jen Saki only said at a regular briefing that “nothing has changed with our plans” regarding the US squad’s participation in the Olympics.
Earlier, Prime Minister Suga said that there was no discussion on the Olympics during a telephone meeting with President Biden on the 28th of last month. The Tokyo Olympics were initially scheduled to be held from July to August last year, but it has been postponed due to the new coronavirus infection (Corona 19).
The Japanese government is preparing to hold the summit in July this year. Prime Minister Suga said at the House of Representatives Budget Committee on the 5th, “We have agreed with Thomas Bach, chairman of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), to make the Tokyo Olympics a reality,” and “the preparations are going well.”
Reporter Eunbin Kim [email protected]