USA TODAY – Tokyo Olympics will be postponed until 2021, veteran International Olympics Committee (IOC) member Dick Pound said today.
The IOC member has said that the competition will not take place as planned this year.
Pound told USA Today: ‘On the basis of the information the IOC has, postponement has been decided. The parameters going forward have not been determined, but the Games are not going to start on July 24, that much I know. It will come in stages. We will postpone this and begin to deal with all the ramifications of moving this, which are immense.’
It follows Japan’s prime minister Shinzo Abe has conceded that a delay to the Tokyo Olympic Games could be ‘inevitable’ as the world continues to battle the coronavirus pandemic.
On Monday, Abe told parliament that Japan was still committed to hosting a ‘complete’ Games, but added: ‘If that becomes difficult, in light of considering athletes first, it may become inevitable that we make a decision to postpone.’
The decision came as Team Canada and Team Australia announced they will not be sending athletes if the games are staged this year.
The IOC said on Sunday it would hold discussions that would include an option of putting back the July 24 start date or even moving the Games by a year or more due to the global coronavirus outbreak, but said cancelling the Games would not solve problems or help anybody.
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach sent a letter to athletes explaining the decision and why it might take so long, while also acknowledging the extended timeline might not be popular.
‘I know that this unprecedented situation leaves many of your questions open,’ he wrote. ‘I also know that this rational approach may not be in line with the emotions many of you have to go through.’
The IOC’s move seemed inevitable for a week with pressure mounting from all quarters – athletes, sponsors, broadcasters and more than 200 national Olympic committees, and international sports federations.
Shortly after Bach’s statement, the Canadian Olympic Committee said it won’t send teams to the Olympics unless the games are postponed by a year. Australia issued a statement saying it was advising its athletes to prepare for an Olympics in 2021.