NEWS
2020 Tokyo Olympics May Be Postponed
Source: IOC
The International Olympic Committee announced Sunday they would take the next four weeks to determine whether the 2020 Olympics should be postponed.
The event is set to be held July 24 through August 9 in Tokyo, Japan, however, the IOC has come under increasing pressure over the past few days with athletes and officials calling for the games to be postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Health and safety paramount as IOC Executive Board agrees to step up scenario-planning for the Olympic Games #Tokyo2020 https://t.co/jvLYoW9yfG
— IOC MEDIA (@iocmedia) March 22, 2020
Canada and Australia announced they will not send athletes to the 2020 Olympics should they continue and have asked for the games to be postponed until 2021.
“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 Canadian Olympic Committee and Canadian Paralympic Committee said in a joint statement Sunday. “This is not solely about athlete health — it is about public health.”
According to CNN, the International Olympic Committee “said it is considering several options to deal with the ongoing outbreak, including modifying plans to allow the 2020 Tokyo Games to begin on schedule on July 24 or changing the start date for the Games.”
The IOC ruled out canceling the 2020 Olympics, saying it would “destroy the Olympic dream of 11,000 athletes.”
