Tokyo Olympics reset to 2021 due to coronavirus outbreak

MANILA, Philippines – International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach has agreed “100%” to a proposal of postponing the Tokyo Olympics for about one year until 2021 because of the coronavirus outbreak, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Tuesday.

Abe said after his telephone talks with Bach that he requested a postponement of about one year “taking into consideration the current circumstances” and to secure an environment in which athletes can perform in their best conditions and the sense of safety and security for the audience.

Abe held telephone talks with Bach after the IOC said it would make a decision on the Tokyo Games over the next four weeks.

The world sporting body has faced pressure to postpone the Quadrennial Games, originally set to fire off July 24, amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The US Olympic and Paralympic Committee surveyed more than 4,000 athletes and nearly seven in 10 US Olympic hopefuls say they don't think the Tokyo Games will be fair if they are held as scheduled, prompting leaders of the USOPC to conclude "it's more clear than ever that the path toward postponement is the most promising."

Sixty-nine percent said they would feel comfortable competing in July if the World Health Organization — one of the groups consulting with the IOC — deemed it safe. But virtually that same number — 68%— said they didn't think the Olympics would be fair under those circumstances.

The best explanation for that has been the massive disruption in training schedules, as athletes prepare for qualifying events this spring and summer.

On Monday, veteran International Olympic Committee member Dick Pound believed the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games are going to be postponed, according to USA Today.

Pound told USA Today the games will likely be played in 2021, with all the details to be worked out in the next few weeks. He said the IOC is expected to announce its next steps soon.

Canada and Australia have earlier announced that they won’t be sending athletes to the Games if it is held this year. – With reports from wires