Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that the Tokyo Olympics cannot take place next year unless the coronavirus pandemic is contained, Reuters reports.

“We’ve been saying the Olympic and Paralympic Games must be held in a complete form, in that athletes and spectators can all participate safely. It would be impossible to hold the Games in such a complete form unless the coronavirus pandemic is contained,” Abe said in response to an opposition lawmaker.

The International Olympic Committee and the Japanese government last month postponed the Games until July 2021 because of the coronavirus crisis.