Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has confirmed that the Tokyo Olympics has been postponed until next summer due to the coronavirus pandemic.
International Olympic Committee member chief Dick Pound revealed on Monday night that it was all but certain that the Games would be moved to 2021.
Jose Mourinho delivers essential goods to vulnerable people in Enfield struggling due to coronavirus
And speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Abe revealed that the International Olympic Committee had agreed to his proposal.
“I proposed to postpone for about a year and [IOC] president Thomas Bach responded with 100% agreement,” Abe said.
The IOC had given itself four weeks to determine its future, with the Games originally due to get under way on July 24, but a final decision has already been made.
In a joint statement (in full below) from the IOC and Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, they underlined their reasons for the postponement.
JOINT STATEMENT FROM THE INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE AND THE TOKYO 2020 ORGANISING COMMITTEE
“The unprecedented and unpredictable spread of the outbreak has seen the situation in the rest of the world deteriorating.
“President Bach and Prime Minister Abe expressed their shared concern about the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, and what it is doing to people’s lives and the significant impact it is having on global athletes’ preparations for the Games.
“In a very friendly and constructive meeting, the two leaders praised the work of the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee and noted the great progress being made in Japan to fight against COVID-19.
“The unprecedented and unpredictable spread of the outbreak has seen the situation in the rest of the world deteriorating. Yesterday, the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said that the COVID-19 pandemic is “accelerating”. There are more than 375,000 cases now recorded worldwide and in nearly every country, and their number is growing by the hour.
“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 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. 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 read: “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.
“It must not be any later than summer 2021 to safeguard the health of the athletes, everybody involved in the Olympic Games and the international community.”
Australia and Canada have already said they would not compete in Japan, while the chairman of the British Olympic Association said Great Britain would be unlikely to send a team to Tokyo this summer.
“On the basis of the information the IOC has, postponement has been decided,” Pound told 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.”
Give COVID-19 the red card
The quicker we work together to stop coronavirus spreading, the sooner we can get back into the pub, the gyms and stadiums and arenas to see live sport again…
STAY AT HOME. Only leave for the following purposes:
- to shop for basic essentials – only when you really need to
- to do one form of exercise a day – such as a run, walk or cycle, alone or with other people you live with
- for any medical need – for example, to visit a pharmacy or deliver essential supplies to a vulnerable person
- to travel to and from work – but only where this is absolutely necessary
For more info and tips, visit the NHS website.
The government has also issued further detail on what we can do during lockdown.
Everyone should do what they can to stop coronavirus spreading.
