Why Olympic Games might not take place

Olympic rings and Japanese national flag are seen at the Japan Olympic Museum in Tokyo January 8, 2021. Picture taken with slow shutter speed. [REUTERS]

A senior member of the International Olympic Committee has said he “can’t be certain” the postponed Tokyo Olympics will open in just over six months because of the surging pandemic in Japan and elsewhere.

The comments by Canadian IOC member Richard Pound to British broadcaster the BBC came as Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga declared a state of emergency on Thursday for Tokyo and surrounding prefectures.