VANCOUVER -- The COVID-19 outbreak has officials in Japan examining the possibility of postponing this summer's Olympic Games in Tokyo, which is having an impact on athletes in Metro Vancouver hoping to represent Canada.

On Tuesday, the International Olympic Committee and Games organizers declared the Olympics will go ahead as planned. But Japan's Olympic minister said that the contract to hold the Games only stipulates the event has to be held during 2020.

"The IOC has the right to cancel the Games only if they are not held during 2020," Seiko Hashimoto told parliament. "This can be interpreted to mean the Games can be postponed as long as they are held during the calendar year."

Canadian men's field hockey team member Jamie Wallace, 20, is currently recovering from an injury but had been looking forward to making his Olympic debut this summer. Wallace said he will be very disappointed if the Games don't go ahead.

"I think, for me, to be able to join this group and qualify for the Olympics at such a young age, I think it will be such a cool experience…but at the end of the day, it's all about our health," he said.

COVID-19 has already had an impact on the team with a traditional pre-Olympic field hockey tournament in Malaysia in April now cancelled.

"Part of the problem is we don't have all the information and that's more the fear of coronavirus. It's evolving so I think it's premature that we have to cancel the Olympics. I think the IOC has dealt with these things before," said the team's physician, Dr. Navin Prasad.

Dr. Prasad said the IOC also had to deal with concerns about the Zika virus leading up to the Olympics in Rio in 2018, as well as the swine flu before the Winter Games in 2010.

Wallace said he's trying to stay focused on hockey and understands that most of this is out of his control, but he still hopes things will move forward as planned.

"I don't think they will ever put us in a position where our health is compromised so we trust them," said Wallace. "It would be an honour—a dream come true for sure."

With files from CTV News Vancouver's Jason Pires and the Associated Press