IOC Member: Tokyo Olympics Will Be Postponed
by Daine Taylor /
The 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which were scheduled to take place beginning July 24, have been postponed due to the ongoing threat of the Coronavirus (COVID-19).
“On the basis of the information the IOC [International Olympic Committee] has, postponement has been decided,” said veteran IOC member Dick Pound in an interview with USA Today. “The parameters going forward have not been determined, but the Games are not going to start on July 24, that much I know.”
“We will postpone this and begin to deal with all the ramifications of moving this, which are immense,” said Pound.
The Coronavirus outbreak, which has infected more than 360,000 people worldwide, has led to a ban on large-scale events and public gatherings. More than an estimated 600,000 tourists from around the world were expected to visit Tokyo for the Games this July, not including the millions of Japanese anticipated to attend, as well as the 11,000 athletes from over 200 nations.
"In the present circumstances and based on the information provided by the WHO today, the IOC President and the Prime Minister of Japan have concluded that the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo must be rescheduled to a date beyond 2020, but not later than summer 2021, to safeguard the health of the athletes, everybody involved in the Olympic Games and the international community," the IOC announced in a joint statement with Japanese prime Minister Abe Shinzo.