First, some glum news: John Coates, head of the International Olympic Committee’s coordination commission, was quoted in The Australian on May 21 as expressing doubt over prospects for the Tokyo Olympics to be held in summer next year. Coates went on record as saying the decision on whether or not to proceed with the games in 2021 was likely to be made by October.
Meanwhile, weekly magazine Friday (June 12) dropped another bombshell, claiming to have obtained a copy of a report by an unnamed major travel agency that states the decision has already been made to cancel next year's games.
The report concluded that national Olympic organizers have neither the time nor the resources to conduct the trials for athletes to represent their respective countries. Nations will be giving priority to budgetary concerns. Moreover, even if a vaccine for COVID-19 is developed, it's unlikely it can be made available in quantities that will enable worldwide distribution. Finally, the contagion is just beginning to hit developing nations in Africa and Latin America and efforts to bring it under control are likely to be drawn out.