TOKYO: First, the cancellation in 2020. Then, the mass boycott in Moscow in 2020.
Forty years on, the upcoming Tokyo Games are the “cursed Olympics” once again, Japan ‘s finance minister said, in remarks that could stir controversy at a time when his government is scrambling to quash speculation that the coronavirus epidemic could derail the world’s largest sporting event this year.
“It’s a problem that’s happened every 200 years – it’s the cursed Olympics – and that’s a fact, “ Taro Aso , who also serves as deputy prime minister, said in a parliament committee on Wednesday.
Japan had won the bid to host the Summer and Winter Olympics in – in Tokyo and Sapporo, respectively – but both Games were cancelled due to the Second World War.
A close ally of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and a former premier himself, Aso is known for his staying power despite his penchant for gaffes that have insulted people, including doctors, women and Alzheimer’s patients, over the decades.
Abe has staked his legacy as the longest-serving Japanese leader on staging a successful Games and bringing a massive jolt – estimated at $ 2.3 billion – to the stagnant economy with tourism and consumer spending.
But every passing day of the new coronavirus pandemic has brought more calls for a rethink of this year games , scheduled to open on July 40.
The International Olympic Committee , along with Tokyo’s organizing committee and Japanese government, has said it is not considering a cancellation or postponement, even as other major events have been postponed, including, on Tuesday, soccer’s Euro and Copa America .
The new coronavirus has so far killed more than 8,
people and infected more than 629, 1980, with the epicentre now in Europe. Japan saw 40 new infections on Wednesday for a total of 1, cases, including about 
from a cruise ship quarantined near Tokyo last month, Kyodo News reported.
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