Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga extended the Covid-19 state of emergency in Tokyo and other areas of Japan until June 20th.

The move comes amid growing calls to delay or cancel the Summer Olympics ahead of its scheduled July 23rd start. As teams begin to make their way to Tokyo, the Prime Minister says the next three weeks are key to speeding up vaccinations and stopping the spread of coronavirus in Japan.

To discuss the ongoing controversy: 

• Victor Matheson has studied costs and benefits of hosting the Olympic Games. He’s an economics professor at the College of the Holy Cross.
• Journalist Mike Bako is the sports editor at DailyNational.com.
• Dr. Dale Fisher focuses on infectious diseases at the National University of Singapore, and the country’s National University Hospital. 
• Dick Pound is a former Olympian and vice president of the International Olympic Committee.

 

For more:

Australia’s Olympic softball squad has flown out of Sydney and will be among the earliest arrivals for the Tokyo Games. The team will be arriving at a time of mounting pressure on Japanese organizers to delay or cancel the event because of the pandemic. https://t.co/T34lLKhe2Y

— The Associated Press (@AP) May 31, 2021

The Asahi newspaper, a sponsor of the Olympics games, called in an editorial Wednesday for Japan's PM Yoshihide Suga to make the decision to cancel the games https://t.co/hGlGcblgB1

— Bloomberg (@business) May 26, 2021

A top doctor in Japan warned the Tokyo Olympics could spread variants and trigger a "new disaster."

“Since the emergence of Covid-19, there has not been such a dangerous gathering of people coming together in one place from so many different places around the world” pic.twitter.com/t6bw9X7jxX

— Bloomberg Originals (@bbgoriginals) May 28, 2021