Japan’s top surfer Kanoa Igarashi is already seeing his training for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics hit by the coronavirus outbreak, but he’s still hoping a “heartbreaking” cancellation can be avoided.

“The travel ban is what’s affecting me the most. Not being able to go anywhere. That’s the main one,” the 22-year-old told AFP in an interview on Wednesday from Los Angeles.

“Surfing is a sport where we have to travel a lot to train in different types of conditions and types of waves in the world.”

“For me as an athlete, as a possible Olympian, it’s affecting training,” added Igarashi, who was born and raised in the United States but represents Japan.

The bleach-blond Igarashi is a gold medal hope for his home country at the 2020 Games, where surfing will make its debut.

But the global coronavirus pandemic has raised growing questions about whether the Games can open as scheduled on July 24.

Organizers have scrapped qualifiers, scaled back test events and altered the Olympic torch relay. On Tuesday, the deputy head of Japan’s Olympic committee announced he had contracted the virus.