TOKYO: A Tokyo Olympics gymnastics qualifier next month, which had hoped to feature US superstar Simone Biles among its participants, was cancelled Wednesday as the coronavirus pandemic continued to cast a shadow over this year’s Games.

The Japan Gymnastics Association announced the scrapping of the Artistic Gymnastics World Cup Tokyo on April 4-5, an Olympic test event, just a few days after saying it would be held without spectators.

“Due to the impact of the spread of coronavirus infections in Europe and cancellations of World Cups in other countries, many athletes and judges decided not to participate in the event,” the JGA said in a statement.

Leading gymnasts including four-time Olympic gold medallist Biles, who is expected to be among the stars of Tokyo 2020, had been on the original entry list for the event.

A rhythmic gymnastics Olympic test event scheduled for April 6 is still going ahead, according to the Tokyo 2020 organising committee.

“After confirming it is safe to do so, Tokyo 2020 will carry out an operational test within the given dates,” the organisers said, adding they will consult with the International Olympic Committee and Federation Internationale de Gymnastique. It is unclear if athletes will be included.

The cancellation comes as doubts grow about whether the Games can open as scheduled on July 24.

Tokyo organisers have 15 test events remaining to conduct, with the final one ending on May 6. Few are likely to be carried out as scheduled, and the presence of non-Japanese athletes is almost certain not to occur.

Published in Dawn, March 19th, 2020