With the upcoming Summer Olympics less than five months away, International Olympic Committee senior member Dick Pound some doubt on whether or not the 2020 Tokyo Games will take place as planned when they’re normally a foregone conclusion.
As a result of the global outbreak of the coronavirus, if the IOC decides to cancel the Olympics, the decision would likely be made by late May, about two months before the Opening Ceremony, Pound said in an interview with the Associated Press. He also said postponement isn’t really a viable option. So depending on officials’ answer to his question — “‘Is this under sufficient control that we can be confident about going to Tokyo or not?'” — the only alternative may be to cancel the Games.
However, the International Olympic Committee Executive Board, in a statement Tuesday, “expressed its full commitment to the success of the Olympic Games” occurring as scheduled this summer in Tokyo from July 24 through August 9.
It also encouraged athletes to continue training and preparing for the Games as usual.
More from the IOC’s statement:
The IOC EB heard a report on all the measures taken so far to address the coronavirus situation, which was followed by a comprehensive discussion.
A joint task force had already been created in mid-February, involving the IOC, Tokyo 2020, the host city of Tokyo, the government of Japan and the World Health Organization (WHO). The IOC EB appreciates and supports the measures being taken, which constitute an important part of Tokyo’s plans to host safe and secure Games.
The IOC will continue to follow the advice of WHO, as the leading United Nations agency on this topic.
The modern Olympics have never been canceled because of health concerns, like the coronavirus — although they have been canceled five times in the past because of World War I and II. However, if the Games carry on as scheduled but athletes are still worried, some may opt not to compete, like a handful did for the 2016 Rio Olympics because of Zika virus concerns.
Although Pound previously discussed the possibility of the 2020 Olympics being canceled, the IOC’s latest statement is also consistent with what he recently told the AP:
“All indications are at this stage that it will be business as usual. So keep focused on your sport and be sure that the IOC is not going to send you into a pandemic situation.”
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