IOC: Japanese Government Categorically Deny They Have Decided to Cancel Summer Olympics

On Thursday, a report emerged in the Times of London that the Japanese government has "privately concluded" that this year's Olympics in Tokyo, which were rescheduled from last year, will have to be canceled due to COVID-19. The report said that Japan's sights were set on securing the next available summer games, in 2032. The International Olympic Committee cited a statement from the Japanese government that has issued a categorical denial of this report:

That's about as strongly worded a denial as the IOC could issue, but there are still going to be questions about whether the Olympics can happen as planned until we actually see them happening. Hopefully, we are on the precipice of vaccine distribution going into overdrive and on the verge of an international renaissance -- ideally including the Olympics -- this coming summer.