https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/52002474
The 2020 Olympic Games will be postponed by one year because of coronavirus, says International Olympic Committee member Dick Pound.
It comes after the chairman of the British Olympic Association said Great Britain would be unlikely to send a team to Tokyo this summer.
Australia and Canada have already said they will not compete in Japan.
"On the basis of the information the IOC has, postponement has been decided," Pound told USA today.
"The parametres going forward have not been determined, but the Games are not going to start on 24 July, that much I know."
Well, that took them a while! I'm not sure exactly why: maybe it's the inertia that comes with a large organisation like the IOC, and maybe it's the fact that the games weren't scheduled to start for another four months, so they were holding out hope that things might clear up by then.
Still, even if the outbreak is over by July, it will have seriously disrupted preparations - so, it's probably best to postpone it even then.
It hasn't officially been declared yet, since Dick Pound is just a member of the IOC so his word alone isn't an official declaration of the games being suspended. I expect it will be officially announced once the IOC has convened with Japan about the matter and set the new dates in stone.
It would be a disaster for them to try to run them. I'm glad that they have postponed them.
It's going to put a lot of stress on the city to try to keep the infrastructure going for another year, but it will be good for economic recovery, without a doubt.
If true, it's the right decision. It'd be completely senseless to have an international sporting tournament while all this is going on. Not to mention all the travel bans would prevent many countries from sending teams anyway.
The IOC has officially stated that the 2020 Olympics will be postponed, but will not take place any later than Summer 2021.
Glad to see it's confirmed now
. Even if the pandemic ends before July, I'd much rather have a full tournament with well-trained athletes, than one with many countries not sending teams (where those athletes who
do attend haven't had a chance to train properly).
The only slightly odd thing is, it's still going to be called "Tokyo 2020", even though it'll take place in 2021. Oh, well: I guess it'll be an interesting trivia question one day
!
(03-24-2020, 06:39 PM)Kyng Wrote: [ -> ]Glad to see it's confirmed now . Even if the pandemic ends before July, I'd much rather have a full tournament with well-trained athletes, than one with many countries not sending teams (where those athletes who do attend haven't had a chance to train properly).
The only slightly odd thing is, it's still going to be called "Tokyo 2020", even though it'll take place in 2021. Oh, well: I guess it'll be an interesting trivia question one day !
I believe that this is a smart move from the IOC. Postponing the Games until 2021 (hopefully when this all clears) is the best thing for all the athletes involved. This is more than about winning the gold. Like the late wrestling personality Ray Traylor (aka The Big Boss Man) would say, "We're not playing a game, we're playing The Game of Life..."
(03-24-2020, 06:51 PM)The Last Outlaw Wrote: [ -> ] (03-24-2020, 06:39 PM)Kyng Wrote: [ -> ]Glad to see it's confirmed now . Even if the pandemic ends before July, I'd much rather have a full tournament with well-trained athletes, than one with many countries not sending teams (where those athletes who do attend haven't had a chance to train properly).
The only slightly odd thing is, it's still going to be called "Tokyo 2020", even though it'll take place in 2021. Oh, well: I guess it'll be an interesting trivia question one day !
I believe that this is a smart move from the IOC. Postponing the Games until 2021 (hopefully when this all clears) is the best thing for all the athletes involved. This is more than about winning the gold. Like the late wrestling personality Ray Traylor (aka The Big Boss Man) would say, "We're not playing a game, we're playing The Game of Life..."
Well said
!
At the moment, the IOC is doing its best to find a replacement date; this is an immensely complex task, which the organisation's president, Thomas Bach, has likened to "a huge jigsaw puzzle". The problem is that every sport involved is going to have its own schedules to worry about for its own competitions (all of which have been disrupted by the outbreak), and figuring out a suitable date is going to take a heck of a lot of negotiation between different sports' governing bodies. However, they're currently looking at a date of Spring 2021:
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/m...s-possible
That'll be a bit odd, because I've always associated the Olympics with mid-to-late summer. However, we've had Commonwealth Games in springtime before (for example, Melbourne 2006 was held in March) - so it wouldn't seem
that unusual to me.
Athletes are going to have to stay in top shape. On one hand, it gives them more time to train. On another hand, a year can make a difference in the fitness of the athletes. Particularly for intense sports where being younger is better, and for athletes that are nearing their retirement.
So I can agree there. The logistics of it are probably an absolute nightmare.
I'm glad some flavor of sense came through in these troubling times.