World Athletics chief Sebastian Coe said Sunday he believes the coronavirus-postponed Tokyo Olympics can be "a beacon of hope and optimism", despite infections surging in Japan and other countries. A virus state of emergency in Tokyo and other parts of Japan was extended on Friday, less than three months before the Games are due to begin. 

The emergency measures come as Olympic organisers struggle to win over a sceptical Japanese public, who fear the Games could spread infections despite a ban on overseas fans and possibly domestic spectators too. But Coe, speaking at an athletics test event held behind closed doors at Tokyo`s Olympic Stadium, said he believes the Games can "have a profound impact" on the world and moved to reassure the Japanese public that "we take those concerns very, very seriously". "I think that it will also act as a beacon of hope and optimism in a world that I hope is soon moving back to some type of normalcy," he told reporters. "I think that these Games will leave a strong lasting legacy, not just for Japan but at a time when the world is coming to terms with some pretty difficult and harrowing months."