• Taro Aso highlights 40-year cycle to make point
• Tokyo officials and IOC insist Games will go ahead

Japan’s deputy prime minister has said the Tokyo Olympics are “cursed”, as speculation mounts that the Games will have to be postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Taro Aso, who has a history of making gaffes, told a parliamentary committee on Wednesday that the Olympics appeared to be blighted by world events every 40 years.

Related: Olympics must be delayed to ensure 'equal' competition