The 2020 Olympic Games maybe postponed by one year because of coronavirus, says International Olympic Committee member Dick Pound. The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games are due to take placed from 24 July to 9 August.
It comes after the chairman of the British Olympic Association said Great Britain would be unlikely to send a team to Tokyo this summer. Australia and Canada have already said they will not compete in Japan.
On Sunday, Canada became the first major country to withdraw from this summer's Olympics and Paralympics.
"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 24 July, that much I know."
Japan Today reports that despite the IOC members voicing their opinion – the IOC has the final call on whether or not the Games are postponed. In other words, the postponement of the Games is not confirmed and IOC president Thomas Bach will ‘guide the final decision’.
On Monday March 23, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said postponing the Games was an option and that the IOC will make the final decision. An official statement from Tokyo 2020 said ‘a final decision has not been reached at this time, and discussions will be finalised within the next four weeks.’ They also added that cancellation is not an option at the moment.
Source: BBC