Coronavirus casts a shadow over the upcoming Summer Olympics

(CNN) With less than four months until the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics, fears over coronavirus are casting doubts about the biggest sporting event on the planet.

The 2020 Games are in Tokyo and Olympics officials are saying not to worry about novel coronavirus — there will be a complete Games with tens of thousands of athletes competing.

But with more than 2,900 deaths globally from coronavirus, the majority of those being in Asia, athletes and fans are concerned that the Tokyo Games could be delayed or not happen at all.

The World Health Organization is advising the International Olympic Committee and Tokyo 2020, the local organizing committee.

This past week Dr. Michael Ryan, executive director of the World Health Organization's Health Emergencies Programme, said, "no decision has or will be taken in the near term regarding the future of the Olympics."
IOC President Thomas Bach said on February 25 that the organization is "fully committed" to holding the Games, according to Kyodo News Agency in Japan.

CNN spoke last week to Dick Pound, the longest-serving IOC board member, and he said the IOC's position won't change unless public officials and health authorities make it clear the Games cannot be held.
"I think it's responsible to be thinking about the elephant in the room, there's no question about it," Pound said. "It's alarmist to say the sky is falling and we should bail out of Tokyo. I think you need an informed decision."

Earlier in the week, Pound told the Associated Press that he estimated there is a three-month window in which to make a decision to postpone or cancel the games.

Tokyo 2020 told CNN that the three-month window "is not necessarily the IOC's collective view."

"Tokyo 2020 will continue to collaborate with all relevant organisations which carefully monitor any incidence of infectious diseases and will review any countermeasures that may be necessary with all relevant organisations," the committee said in a statement. "The rest is speculation."