The Norwegian Olympic Committee announced today that it has requested the International Committee to postpone the Tokyo Summer Olympics scheduled for this year, against the backdrop of the outbreak of the new Coruna virus, to join in the increasing calls in this regard.
The Norwegian committee indicated that it sent a message to the ICRC, which is based in the Swiss city of Lausanne, on Friday, in which it expressed "its concern about the outbreak of an epidemic (Covid-19) and the general health situation at the local and international levels."
"Our clear recommendation is that the Olympic Games in Tokyo should not be held before (Coved-19) is brought under global control," she added, noting that the Olympics are scheduled between July 24 and August 9.
The Norwegian committee stated that among the measures taken locally to limit the spread of the virus, the prevention of all sporting activities "that caused challenges for all sports movement in Norway", added to the extensive restrictions on movement and travel imposed on a global scale to reduce the spread of the epidemic, which has thus far led To the death of more than 11 people around the world.
"We want to stress the importance of the International Olympic Committee making a decision, sooner rather than later, so that everyone has an equal opportunity to prepare," Norwegian Committee spokeswoman Sophie Olsen told AFP.
And yet, the ICRC, along with Japanese officials, remains open to their stated position with the intention of holding the Games on time, despite growing calls for it to be postponed, especially by athletes.