A top Japanese Olympics official has been diagnosed with the coronavirus.
Japan’s Olympic Committee Deputy Chief Kozo Tashima announced on Tuesday that he tested positive for the virus, according to the New York Post.
“Today, my test result showed positive for the new coronavirus,” Tashima said in a statement. “I have a mild fever. Examinations showed a symptom of pneumonia, but I’m fine. I will concentrate on treatment following doctors’ advice.
“I have chosen to face the illness as so many people are doing in Japan and around the world,” he added.
Tashima, 62, had spent the last few months traveling, including trips to Belfast, Amsterdam, and the U.S.A. He claimed to have started feeling symptoms on March 8.
The Olympics have not been canceled since World War II forced the games to close down in 1944. Thus far, the 2020 games are still on as scheduled.
“We’re making utmost efforts so that the IOC can be convinced that the Tokyo Games can be held safely,” Olympics Minister Seiko Hashimoto recently said of the IOC’s efforts to monitor the progress of the virus.
Still, only weeks ago, Hashimoto noted that the games could be held any time, hinting that a change could be forthcoming if necessary.
“The IOC has the right to cancel the games only if they are not held during 2020,” Hashimoto told Japanese officials two weeks ago. “This can be interpreted to mean the games can be postponed as long as they are held during the calendar year.”
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