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No 'Plan B' for Olympics; questions over Chinese presence as virus spreads

Officials were unclear if Chinese athletes will be able to participate in the remaining 19 test events in Japan.

TOKYO, Japan — Tokyo Olympic organizers and the International Olympic Committee say there's “no case for any contingency plans or cancelling" the 2020 Games because of the fast-spreading virus that has caused one death in Japan and about 1,400 in mainland China.

A full Chinese delegation is expected when the Olympics open in just over five months. But officials were unclear if Chinese athletes will be able to participate in the remaining 19 test events in Japan.

The head of the IOC inspection team heading a two-day visit to Tokyo says he believes many of China's Olympic athletes are already training outside the country. That could ease their entry into Japan.

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Japan reported its first death from the coronavirus, now called COVID-19, Thursday. Health minister Katsunobu Kato says the victim is a woman in her 80s who had been treated at a hospital near Tokyo since early February after developing symptoms. Her infection was confirmed after her death.

Japan has confirmed 256 cases of the virus, including 218 from a cruise ship quarantined at the port of Yokohama, near Tokyo, amid growing fears of the spreading virus. 

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The coronavirus this week led to the cancellation of a Formula One race set for April in Shanghai. It has wiped out track meets, golf tournaments, soccer matches and almost all sports in China.

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