The 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo is questionable due to the outbreak of coronavirus. According to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), competitions can be canceled if the epidemic continues to spread just as quickly. This was stated by former head of the World Anti-Doping Agency Richard Pound.

He explained that if it comes to the need to make a decision, then it will probably be the cancellation of the Games, and not their transfer to another country.

At the same time, the functionary recalled that the IOC members do not need to make a fateful decision right now. According to him, they can study the situation until the beginning of May, and then announce the verdict regarding the date and venue of the 2020 Summer Olympics.

“If necessary, a decision can be made two months before the start of the Games. After this mark, many processes should begin: it is necessary to begin to strengthen security measures, to deal with issues of food, the Olympic village, hotels. The media will begin to equip their studios, ”Pound quoted the Associated Press.

The former head of the World Anti-Doping Agency emphasized that it’s too early to talk about a possible transfer, but closer to the summer, both athletes and fans will begin to ask reasonable questions regarding their safety in the event of a visit to Japan.

“This is a new war, and will have to face it. I think, around this time, people will start to wonder: “Is the situation controlled enough so that we can safely go to Tokyo, or not?” Said Pound.

Now there is talk of a possible transfer of not only the Olympic Games, but also other major sporting events. Last weekend, due to an outbreak of coronavirus, a number of Italian Serie A football matches were postponed, and the leadership of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) noted that if the situation worsens, a mass cancellation of games is possible.

It is very likely that the situation will affect the upcoming European Championship, which will be held from June 12 to July 12 immediately in 12 cities and countries of the continent. At the moment, none of them recorded cases of coronavirus infection, but the outbreak in Italy makes you think about moving matches from Rome (as well as German Munich and Spanish Bilbao). Of course, while there is no reason for this, but UEFA is already thinking about such measures.

Moreover, in the case of the Olympics, everything is much more complicated. If the situation around the European Championship is relatively easy to solve due to the presence of high-class stadiums in many cities of the Old World, it will be extremely difficult to find a region that is ready to quickly prepare the entire infrastructure for the Games. This is what Pound noted, also adding that there are also many pitfalls in terms of changing deadlines.

“This is an extremely serious decision, and it cannot be taken without reliable facts ... It is impossible to postpone an event of such magnitude as the Olympic Games. There are too many “moving parts” involved, many countries and even seasons - competitive and television. You can’t just say, “We’ll spend in October,” Pound continued.

The former head of WADA did not put an end to the capital of Japan as the organizer of the Games, but also assured that the International Olympic Committee would never expose athletes to the risk of contracting the virus.

“As far as we know, you will go to Tokyo. At this stage, everything indicates that the competition will be held as usual. Therefore, focus on your discipline and be sure that the IOC will not send you to the area affected by the pandemic, ”Pound addressed the athletes.

The Japanese Ministry of Health also did not stand aside and commented on information regarding the postponement or cancellation of the Tokyo Olympics. According to the head of the department, Katsunobu Kato, talking about this is premature. And this despite the fact that the country announced the postponement of matches of the country's football championship because of the epidemic.

At the same time, Great Britain has already expressed a desire to host the 2020 Summer Olympics. A similar statement was made by the candidate for mayor of London, Sean Bailey. However, in Japan they reacted rather harshly to such a proposal and noted that "it is incorrect to make coronavirus part of the election campaign."

The coronavirus epidemic continues to make adjustments to the sporting life of the planet. In addition to the matches of the 25th round of the Italian championship, the outbreak of the disease led to the postponement of the planet's athletics and table tennis championships, as well as the cancellation of the Alpine skiing World Cup. In addition, the qualification tournament for the Olympic Games in the Asia zone in boxing urgently changed residence to Jordanian Amman. At the same time, representatives of tennis, who were left without the WTA series tournament in Xi'an, were also affected. Competitions were to be held from April 13 to 19.

Among other things, the players of the Italian “Inter” and the Bulgarian “Ludogorets” will be forced to hold the return match of the 1/16 finals of the Europa League without spectators. It is worth noting that in the last round wards Antonio Conte were supposed to meet with rivals from Sampdoria, but their confrontation was postponed.

The epidemic hit motor racing fans as well. So, the Chinese Grand Prix was postponed indefinitely, and the Italian stable Ferrari closed the museum in Maranello, canceled tours of the base and refused business trips. In addition, it is possible that the restrictions will affect the staff of the team - some of them will work remotely.