Another major sporting event has been postponed and it’s the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo as a result of the global COVID-19 outbreak.
International Olympic Committee member Dick Pound told USA Today that the games will likely be pushed to 2021, and that a plan will be put in place on how to proceed in the next four weeks.
“On the basis of the information the IOC has, postponement has been decided,” Pound said. “The parameters going forward have not been determined, but the Games are not going to start on July 24, that much I know… We will postpone this and begin to deal with all the ramifications of moving this, which are immense.”
This comes just days after both Canada and Australia said that they would not be sending athletes to the 2020 Games.
Organizers began planning for a potential delay in mid-March when the IOC released a statement saying they were looking into the scenario and conducting full assessments of the outbreak.
“The IOC will, in full coordination and partnership with the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, the Japanese authorities and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, start detailed discussions to complete its assessment of the rapid development of the worldwide health situation and its impact on the Olympic Games, including the scenario of postponement,” read the IOC’s statement.