Trump Announces Japan’s PM Will Guide Decision on Olympics

President Trump has announced that he will look to Japan’s Prime Minister on whether the Olympic Games will be held this year or not.

According to The Hill:

President Trump on Monday said that the United States’ decision on whether to participate in the Summer Olympics in Tokyo will be “guided by the wishes” of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan.

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The president said in an early-morning tweet that he trusted Abe to make a “proper decision” about the event as the number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus continued to climb worldwide, causing a mass closure of businesses and schools and a suspension of sporting events.

The outbreak has led to growing calls for the Olympics to be either canceled or postponed, though the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has yet to make a final decision.

The body said that it would make a decision within four weeks, noting that it needs to account for various complexities dealing with rescheduling the global event that thousands of athletes and visitors converge on.

We will be guided by the wishes of Prime Minister Abe of Japan, a great friend of the United States and a man who has done a magnificent job on the Olympic Venue, as to attending the Olympic Games in Japan. He will make the proper decision!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 23, 2020

Canada and Australia have announced that they will not send athletes while calling on Japan to suspend the games until next year.