Are the Olympic Games cancelled? Comments from a Japanese authority sow doubts

SUCH (Reuters) - A senior official in Japan's ruling party said on Thursday that the cancellation of theOlympic Games of this year inSuch remains an option if the crisiscoronavirus gets too bad, dropping a bombshell on an already hot topic and sending social media into a frenzy.

The Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee responded with a statement stating that everyone involved in the preparation of the event remains fully focused onthe celebration during the northern summer.

"If it seems impossible to continue doing it, then we have to stop, forcefully," said Toshihiro Nikai, general secretary of the Liberal Democratic Party, in statements to the TBS radio station.

Cancellation is "of course" an option, he said, adding: "If theOlympics spread the infection, what are the Olympics for?"

Now that Japan is immersed in a fourth wave of coronavirus infections, doubts have resurfaced in recent weeks about Tokyo's ability to host the Games, an idea already quite unpopular with the public.

However, government officials and organizers have consistently said the Games will go ahead, so the fact that a ruling party heavyweight made the comment was enough for the issue to headline national news.

"Olympics cancelled" was leading Twitter trends in Japan, with about 50,000 tweets from users as of midday Thursday.

"If this person says it, the cancellation of the Olympics seems like a reality," tweeted @marumaru_clm, referring to Nikai, who is a major supporter of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and is known for his blunt comments.

"Good! That's great! They're finally cancelled, cancelled, cancelled!" tweeted another user, @haruha3156.

Nikai later released a written statement to explain the situation.

"I want the Olympic and Paralympic Games to be successful," he said. "At the same time, to the question of whether we should celebrate them no matter what, that's not the case. That's what my comments mean."

Suga later sidestepped a question from a reporter about whether cancellation is indeed an option, saying only that the government remains committed to controlling the pandemic ahead of the sporting event.

"There is no change in the government's position to do everything possible to prevent the spread of infections as we head towards the Olympic Games," he told reporters in Tokyo before traveling to Washington to meet with the president of the United States, Joe Biden.