TOKYO: Tokyo Olympics organisers said preparations were "continuing as planned" on Tuesday (Feb 25) as Japan's football league became the latest sporting victim of the Covid-19 (coronavirus) outbreak, just five months before the Games. The J-League added to jitters around the Olympics as it called off domestic football until mid-March, starting with seven cup games scheduled for Wednesday, as fears of a pandemic grow. J-League chairman Mitsuru Murai called it a "big decision" to temporarily shut down Japanese football, which along with South Korea and China is among the strongest in Asia. "We have decided to postpone Levain Cup games scheduled for tomorrow and all the official games... scheduled until March 15," he told a news conference. Training for Olympic volunteers was suspended over the weekend, and Sunday's Tokyo marathon has been closed to all but elite runners.

Source: The Star February 25, 2020 15:56 UTC