The 2020 Tokyo Olympics has officially been postponed due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
In a phone interview with USA TODAY, veteran International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Dick Pound broke the news of the postponement on Monday afternoon.
“On the basis of the information the IOC has, postponement has been decided,” Pound said in the phone interview. “The parameters going forward have not been determined, but the games are not going to start on July 24, that much I know.”
He added that the games have definitely not been canceled and will “most likely be moved to 2021.” More details with be revealed over the next four weeks.
“It will come in stages,” said Pound, 78, the longest-serving IOC member. “We will postpone this and begin to deal with all the ramifications of moving this, which are immense.”
As per Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the IOC has officially postponed the summer games until at least next summer.
The prime minister had requested IOC president Thomas Bach grant a “one-year delay,” to which he “agreed 100 percent.”
According to IOC leaders, the delay allows the athletes to train safely and not waste the more than $10 billion Japan spent to prepare for the 2020 Olympics over the past seven years.
Postponing the games would, however, lead to financial implications for Japan and additional postponements of major events: such as world championships for the…
… Read More
Click here to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Christian Headlines.