Former IOC vice president says U.N. could rule on Tokyo Games

SYDNEY — Kevan Gosper, a former International Olympic Committee vice president, is suggesting the United Nations might be the place to decide the fate of the postponed Tokyo Olympic.

The Olympics are to open July 23 but face mounting opposition at home as COVID-19 cases surge in Tokyo, across Japan and across the globe.

Tokyo and other parts of Japan are under emergency orders with about 4,200 deaths in the country attributed to COVID-19.

Gosper, still an honorary IOC member, made the suggestion to Australia’s national broadcaster, the Australian Broadcasting Corp.

“If you were looking for a third party that recognizes that this has gone beyond being an issue just related to sport, or just related to national interest, by virtue of the global COVID [pandemic] and its impact then their could be a case to go the United Nations and seek their involvement in arbitrating whether the games go ahead or not,” Gosper told ABC’s The Ticket program.

The IOC and local organizers have said the Olympics cannot be postponed again. They will be canceled this time if they can’t be held. “We’ve done this before in the IOC, we’ve gone to the United Nations to give us assistance,” Gosper said. “Because we are talking about something that potentially is going to involve representatives from 205 countries.”

It’s not clear the United Nations would enter into what is an intense political issue in Japan.

Japan has invested a reported $25 billion to organize the Olympics, and Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has repeated that the games will take place.

National pride is also at stake, with China set to hold the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022, six month after the Summer Games in Tokyo are to close.