Florida tells Olympic committee state will host summer games if Japan cannot, amid COVID concerns

Florida has told the International Olympic Committee that it is willing to host the summer Olympics games amid mounting speculation that host country Japan will drop out amid ongoing coronavirus concerns.

State Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis sent a letter Monday to Thomas Bach, the head of the IOC, "to encourage you to consider relocating the 2021 Olympics from Tokyo, Japan to the United States of America, and more specifically to Florida."

"With media reports of leaders in Japan 'privately' concluding that they are too concerned about the pandemic for the 2021 Olympics to take place, there is still time to deploy a site selection team to Florida," Patronis also wrote, according to Yahoo News.

The summer games are, in fact, the 2020 games postponed as a result of the pandemic.

The letter argues the state, led by GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis is well positioned to host the games, considering its vaccination roll-out, that most businesses have reopened, sporting events have fans and theme parks such as Disney World are open, Yahoo also reports.

However, Florida still has relatively high coronavirus numbers including 25,000 deaths so far.

"Whatever precautions are required let's figure it out and get it done," Patronis also said in the letter, posted on the state website.

Last week, officials organizing the games in Tokyo said they are committed to the scheduled, planned dates of July 23 to August 8.

"I am determined to realize a safe and secure Tokyo Games as proof that mankind will have overcome the virus," Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga amid speculation that the games will be postponed or cancelled.