Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) in a tweet Wednesday urged Tokyo to go ahead with the Olympic Games after rumors that the country might cancel due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Hold the Tokyo Olympic Games. Athletes have trained a lifetime to be at their peak. Limit in-person spectators—most of us watch the Games on TV anyway,” Romney tweeted. “The world awaits the inspiration of great competition and global sportsmanship.”
Japan reaffirmed its commitment to the Olympic Games on Friday after reports of sources claiming there have been discussions about canceling the games.
The reports came a week after Japan went into a state of emergency due to a spike in cases. Japan has seen more than 5,000 deaths from the coronavirus with Tokyo being a hot spot for cases.
However, Yuriko Koike, the governor of Tokyo, said there are no plans to cancel the games. The International Olympic Committee put out a statement on Tuesday that it’s working with Japan in the final preparations for the games.
The committee said it’s discussing ways to make the games safe and have proper coronavirus measures in place. There are hopes that the athletes may be able to get vaccinated, but it depends on the nation they live in.
The Olympics are slated to start in July and end in August. Athletes from around the world will travel to Tokyo to compete after the games were postponed in summer 2020.