On a day when the London and Boston marathons headed a long list of further cancellations due to the coronavirus, the International Olympic Committee reasserted its commitment to stage the Tokyo Games.

A statement surrounding the body’s own working practices, read in part:

“The International Olympic Committee wants to support … concerted efforts to proactively limit the risk of spreading the Covid-19 virus, while at the same time continuing to work at full speed on the preparations for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 … and in particular the qualification process for athletes and teams. This is the main priority of the IOC.”

The organisation said all its Lausanne-based staff would work mainly from home from Monday onwards.