Chief executive officer of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Toshiro Muto (right) arrives for a media briefing in Tokyo on Wednesday. Photo: AFP

Any decision to delay the Olympics should be made before May, an organizing committee board member told Japanese broadcaster TBS late on Wednesday, as doubts over the Summer Games may grow with the coronavirus now declared a pandemic.

Tokyo 2020 executive board member Haruyuki Takahashi's comments came just hours after its chief, Yoshiro Mori, publicly chided him for remarks he first made to the Wall Street Journal that a delay of one or two years would be the most reasonable option if the coronavirus derailed the Games.

The Japanese and Tokyo metropolitan governments, local organizers and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) have all sought to quash persistent speculation that the Games could be canceled or postponed.

Mori called Takahashi's suggestion "outrageous," while on Thursday, Tokyo's governor, Yuriko Koike, said she believed cancellation was not an option, although she acknowledged that the pandemic label would affect future discussions.

Speaking to TBS after Mori's news conference, Takahashi said: "If you think about the athletes, May would seem too late" to make a decision on any delay, according to the broadcaster. "We need to think about taking the first step, before the IOC."

He added that the organizing committee would probably discuss postponement at its next meeting later this month, TBS reported.

Takahashi and the Tokyo 2020 media office did not immediately respond to requests for comments.

The WHO described the coronavirus outbreak as a pandemic for the first time, prompting more countries to announce drastic measures.

Reuters