`Too early to panic' about Tokyo, says IOC'S Pound

International Olympic Committee member Dick Pound said plans for the Summer Games in Tokyo, postponed until this year because of the pandemic, look “encouraging” even though the country on Thursday declared a state of emergency in its capital city as cases continue to surge.

“The elephant in the room remains the virus,” Pound said Friday. “And you know, if there is an uncontrolled upsurge, well, that will certainly increase the risk. But on the preparations to date and the results to date, it looks pretty encouraging. It may be stripped down a little bit, but the important thing is that they take place so that message gets out to the world that we can beat this.”

Though Japan has seen a lower prevalence of positive coronavirus tests than the U.S. or Europe, cases have surged over the past two months to the point where hospitals are starting to become overwhelmed. The country set a record with slightly more than 6,000 new cases on Wednesday, and the next day Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga declared a state of emergency in the Tokyo area, though compliance is largely voluntary. Government officials are asking bars and restaurants to close early and residents to refrain from non-urgent outings.

Earlier Friday, Pound told the BBC that he “can't be certain” that the Olympics would go on as planned in July, but he told The Washington Post he was encouraged by the steps Japan has taken to contain the virus.

“They certainly had an upsurge and that has worried them, rightly so. But they've taken the steps that are required and they've taken them quickly,” Pound, a Canadian and the longest-serving IOC member, told the Post. “I think it's far too early to panic at this stage. I would give it a 3-to-1 odds of going ahead on the basis of what we know today.”