In this Dec. 5, 2018, file photo, John Coates, the leader of the IOC's coordination commission for the Tokyo Olympics, speaks during a press conference in Tokyo. Coates said there is no May deadline to cancel the games and he remains confident the event will go ahead despite sports coming to a virtual standstill globally amid the coronavirus outbreak. Coates told the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper Monday, March 16, 2020: “It’s all proceeding to start on the 24th of July.”(Koji Sasahara, APFile)