Canada's Dick Pound, a long-standing member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), told AFP on Monday that postponing the Tokyo Olympics to 2021 is now the only option given the coronavirus pandemic. Sunday, at the end of a meeting of its executive office, the IOC for the first time opened the way to a postponement, giving itself four weeks to make a final decision as to whether or not to hold the Games this summer. The court, however, refused to consider their outright cancellation.
"My interpretation of the IOC announcement is that they do not want to cancel the Olympic Games and do not think they can continue to hold them on July 24," said Mr. Pound. So we look at the word starting with "R" [for report]. "Later, in USA Today , the former IOC vice-president went further and completely sold the match:" Based on the information available to the IOC, the postponement was decided. The parameters for the future have not been determined, but the Games will not start on July 24, as far as I know. "
The path full of pitfalls of the postponement of the Tokyo Olympic Games via @ 20minutesSport https://t.co/fDJLHOnNeg
- 20 Minutes Sport (@ 20minutesSport) March 23, 2020Pound votes for postponement to 2021
According to him, the script is written in advance: "They will explore options with the Japanese of course, then there will be all kinds of stakeholders - international federations, National Olympic Committees, athletes. And then in four weeks, they will try to present a plan B as precise as possible ”. "It is the right of any member of the IOC to interpret the decision made by the executive office communicated on Sunday," simply reacted the body, without commenting further on the reading of Dick Pound.
The Canadian, former head of the World Anti-Doping Agency, said that the "staggering" spread of Covid-19 around the world leaves the IOC with no other choice. "It is not something that will disappear by July 24. No more than by September or October. Many countries in the world, including the largest, are somewhat outdated, and this is just starting to take root in Africa, "he said.
According to him, postponing the Games to 2021 “is the most feasible because it gives you the most time to organize. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also opened the door to a postponement of the Games on Monday, saying it "may become inevitable," something he had never done before. And on the sporting side, many voices are heard to push the IOC to make this decision. Foremost among them was that of the Canadian Olympic Committee, which announced on Sunday that it would not send any athlete to Tokyo if the Games were held this summer.
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Coronavirus: The International Athletics Federation asks the IOC to postpone the 2020 Olympics
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