Coronavirus pandemic Tokyo Olympics postponed, to be held 'until summer of 2021' Japanese PM
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and IOC President Thomas Bach have agreed to postpone the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo to a date no later than summer 2021. The news was released in a joint statement from the international Olympic Committee and the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee on Tuesday morning.
The 2020 Summer Olympics were originally slated to kick off in Japan's capital on July 24, but there has been mounting pressure for organizers to postpone or cancel the Games due to an ongoing pandemic of the novel coronavirus, which the World Health Organization warned Monday is "accelerating." Veteran IOC member Dick Pound said on Monday that the decision has been reached, and the games will not take place as scheduled.
Initially the IOC had been firm on wanting to wait until late April before deciding whether the games should be cancelled, postponed or moved. The speed with which the pandemic has escalated will force the committee to act more quickly.
On Monday morning reports indicated that Japan’s prime minister Shinzo Abe told members of parliament: “If I’m asked whether we can hold the Olympics at this point in time, I would have to say that the world is not in such a condition.”
"I proposed to postpone for about a year and president Bach responded with 100% agreement," Abe told reporters in Tokyo Tuesday, referring to Thomas Bach, head of the International Olympic Committee. The Japanese government did not take an official stance, though several nations moved quickly to make their intentions known.
On Sunday night, Canada announced it would not send athletes to the 2020 games due to the coronavirus pandemic. who pushed hard for Tokyo's selection as the host city -- and Bach both agreed that the Games "must be rescheduled to a date beyond 2020 but not later than summer 2021," according to a joint statement from the International Olympic Committee and the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee. Australia also reportedly told athletes something similar, indicating the games will likely be delayed and eventually take place in the summer of 2021.
"The pandemic has progressed so swiftly in the U.S. over the last month that the suggestion seems ludicrous now. The leaders agreed that the Olympic Games in Tokyo could stand as a beacon of hope to the world during these troubled times and that the Olympic flame could become the light at the end of the tunnel in which the world finds itself at present," the statement said. "Therefore, it was agreed that the Olympic flame will stay in Japan. It was also agreed that the Games will keep the name Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020."
It’s impossible to imagine a large-scale, international sporting event would be possible, or appropriate, considering the climate worldwide. It wasn’t long ago that people speculated the games could be moved, wistfully suggesting that the United States has the infrastructure in place to step in and host if needed.
Postponing the games involves much more than simply telling athletes to wait, which is likely why the IOC took its time.
Athletes have been preparing for years to be ready to compete in the summer of 2020, with potential postponement throwing off their training regimen. In addition, there are issues with broadcasting rights, volunteer availability and the numerous disruptions to daily working life that come with the Olympics, and may be difficult to ameliorate following widespread shutdown of services and businesses due to the coronavirus.
Japan appears to have successfully slowed the spread of the respiratory virus on home soil so far, with just 1,140 diagnosed cases as of Tuesday, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
But as the health crisis deepens in other parts of the world, including Europe and North America, a growing number of Olympic teams and athletes called on organizers to delay or cancel the 2020 Summer Olympics.
In addition, it’s unclear how the IOC will adapt to a wildly changing Olympic schedule. The board, however, emphasized that it has no current plans to outright cancel the 2020 Summer Olympics as such a scenario "would not solve any of the problems or help anybody. For decades the games have operated under a two-year, four-year schedule which sees the summer and winter Olympic games trading off. It’s not known whether a temporary change to the 2020 games would have a knock-on effect that could permanently alter the schedule of the games.
There is no firm date for when the games will be held at this time, should they ultimately be postponed as Pound claims.
The International Olympic Committee’s executive board on Sunday said it would assess the worldwide situation over the coming weeks and make a decision that could include the scenario of postponing the Games.
Canada was the first country to announce that athletes would not be sent to this year's Olympics due to the risks associated with the coronavirus epidemic. The Canadian Olympic Committee and the Canadian Paralympic Committee called on the organizers to delay the Games for a year.
"While we recognize the inherent complexities around a postponement, nothing is more important than the health and safety of our athletes and the world community," the committees said in a joint statement Sunday. "This is not solely about athlete health -- it is about public health."
Australia followed suit. After unanimously deciding not to send a team, the Australian Olympic Committee said in a statement that our athletes now need to prioritize their own health and those around them and be able to return to families is.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and IOC President Thomas Bach have agreed to postpone the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo to a date no later than summer 2021. The news was released in a joint statement from the international Olympic Committee and the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee on Tuesday morning.
The 2020 Summer Olympics were originally slated to kick off in Japan's capital on July 24, but there has been mounting pressure for organizers to postpone or cancel the Games due to an ongoing pandemic of the novel coronavirus, which the World Health Organization warned Monday is "accelerating." Veteran IOC member Dick Pound said on Monday that the decision has been reached, and the games will not take place as scheduled.
Initially the IOC had been firm on wanting to wait until late April before deciding whether the games should be cancelled, postponed or moved. The speed with which the pandemic has escalated will force the committee to act more quickly.
On Monday morning reports indicated that Japan’s prime minister Shinzo Abe told members of parliament: “If I’m asked whether we can hold the Olympics at this point in time, I would have to say that the world is not in such a condition.”
"I proposed to postpone for about a year and president Bach responded with 100% agreement," Abe told reporters in Tokyo Tuesday, referring to Thomas Bach, head of the International Olympic Committee. The Japanese government did not take an official stance, though several nations moved quickly to make their intentions known.
On Sunday night, Canada announced it would not send athletes to the 2020 games due to the coronavirus pandemic. who pushed hard for Tokyo's selection as the host city -- and Bach both agreed that the Games "must be rescheduled to a date beyond 2020 but not later than summer 2021," according to a joint statement from the International Olympic Committee and the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee. Australia also reportedly told athletes something similar, indicating the games will likely be delayed and eventually take place in the summer of 2021.
"The pandemic has progressed so swiftly in the U.S. over the last month that the suggestion seems ludicrous now. The leaders agreed that the Olympic Games in Tokyo could stand as a beacon of hope to the world during these troubled times and that the Olympic flame could become the light at the end of the tunnel in which the world finds itself at present," the statement said. "Therefore, it was agreed that the Olympic flame will stay in Japan. It was also agreed that the Games will keep the name Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020."
It’s impossible to imagine a large-scale, international sporting event would be possible, or appropriate, considering the climate worldwide. It wasn’t long ago that people speculated the games could be moved, wistfully suggesting that the United States has the infrastructure in place to step in and host if needed.
Postponing the games involves much more than simply telling athletes to wait, which is likely why the IOC took its time.
Athletes have been preparing for years to be ready to compete in the summer of 2020, with potential postponement throwing off their training regimen. In addition, there are issues with broadcasting rights, volunteer availability and the numerous disruptions to daily working life that come with the Olympics, and may be difficult to ameliorate following widespread shutdown of services and businesses due to the coronavirus.
Japan appears to have successfully slowed the spread of the respiratory virus on home soil so far, with just 1,140 diagnosed cases as of Tuesday, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
But as the health crisis deepens in other parts of the world, including Europe and North America, a growing number of Olympic teams and athletes called on organizers to delay or cancel the 2020 Summer Olympics.
In addition, it’s unclear how the IOC will adapt to a wildly changing Olympic schedule. The board, however, emphasized that it has no current plans to outright cancel the 2020 Summer Olympics as such a scenario "would not solve any of the problems or help anybody. For decades the games have operated under a two-year, four-year schedule which sees the summer and winter Olympic games trading off. It’s not known whether a temporary change to the 2020 games would have a knock-on effect that could permanently alter the schedule of the games.
There is no firm date for when the games will be held at this time, should they ultimately be postponed as Pound claims.
The International Olympic Committee’s executive board on Sunday said it would assess the worldwide situation over the coming weeks and make a decision that could include the scenario of postponing the Games.
Canada was the first country to announce that athletes would not be sent to this year's Olympics due to the risks associated with the coronavirus epidemic. The Canadian Olympic Committee and the Canadian Paralympic Committee called on the organizers to delay the Games for a year.
"While we recognize the inherent complexities around a postponement, nothing is more important than the health and safety of our athletes and the world community," the committees said in a joint statement Sunday. "This is not solely about athlete health -- it is about public health."
Australia followed suit. After unanimously deciding not to send a team, the Australian Olympic Committee said in a statement that our athletes now need to prioritize their own health and those around them and be able to return to families is.
