Japanese virologist: Maybe a different situation in July

A Japanese virologist on February 19 said if the Tokyo Olympics were tomorrow, the games probably couldn't be held because of the fast-spreading virus.

"We need to find the best way to have a safe Olympics," Dr. Hitoshi Oshitani said, speaking at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan.

"Right now, we don't have an effective strategy, and I think it may be difficult to have the Olympics (now). But by the end of July we may be in a different situation."

Oshitani, a former adviser with the WHO who worked on the SARS outbreak almost 20 years ago, was hopeful but sowed some uncertainty about the Olympics.

"I'm not sure (of) the situation in Japan at the end of July," he said, answering in English. "But probably we will not have large outbreaks in Japan in July."

Virus limits next Tokyo Olympic test event to Japanese-only

A test event for the Tokyo Olympics scheduled for later this month that would have involved some non-Japanese athletes is being revamped because of fear of the spreading virus.

It's now limited to only Japanese athletes with the Olympics just over five months away.

The two-day test event is set to open at the new Ariake Arena on February 28 and is relatively obscure. It's the first of 19 remaining test events before the Olympics are to open on July 24.

They will be watched closely, as will the start of the torch relay on March 26 in Fukushima, a prefecture devastated nine years ago by an earthquake, tsunami, and the meltdown of three nuclear plant reactors.

The test events may reveal what effect the spreading virus is having on Olympic preparations, and the ability of non-Japanese athletes to safely enter Japan.

Olympic qualifiers and dozens of sports events across Asia have been postponed or called off, including the indoor world track and field championships in Nanjing, east China Jiangsu Province, and the Formula One race in April in Shanghai. Japan's Kyodo news agency reported Wednesday that Mongolia's archery team pulled out of a training camp in central Japan.

The cancellation of Olympic qualifying events wreaks havoc with athletes waiting to advance, organizers and federations forced to find new venues — not to mention disrupting hotel reservations, airplane flights, and ticket reservations.

(With input from agencies)