Japan still planning Tokyo Olympics despite Covid-19 scare

Japan's Olympic Minister says the country is still planning to host the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games on time, with spectators in attendance.

Seiko Hashimoto says a complete Olympics is what they are aiming for and they will do their utmost best to prepare as scheduled so that the International Olympic Committee will be convinced they are capable of hosting the games.

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the Olympics would still go ahead despite the coronavirus pandemic.

Japan currently has had more than 1,400 cases and 28 deaths resulting from coronavirus.

Meanwhile, the International Olympic Committee says it does not plan any "drastic" decisions and remains fully committed the Games.

In a statement after discussions with international sports federations, it said changes would need to be made to Olympic qualifiers but that 57 percent of the 11,000 athletes have already secured their spot.

They say for the remaining 43 percent of places, they will work with the international federations to make any necessary and practical adaptations to their respective qualification systems for Tokyo 2020 adding qualification could also be based on ranking or historical results.

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