As the International Olympic Committee begins considering a potential postponement of the Tokyo Olympics amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Japanese Olympic Committee President Yasuhiro Yamashita told reporters on Monday night that the organization would accept such an adjournment if it were a decision to protect the safety of athletes.
"Both the IOC and the organizing committee have put the security and safety of the athletes as their top priority," Yamashita said. "We've been aiming to start (the games) on July 24. But as the coronavirus keeps spreading, I understand that we have to take postponement into consideration from that standpoint."
Stressing that there is still a possibility for the games to kick off as scheduled, Yamashita said that if the Olympics are to be pushed back, the length of the delay would be a difficult issue to resolve.
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