Olympics in Tokyo until 2021: IOC agrees to Japan's request
The Tokyo Olympics will be postponed to 2021 due to the effects of the corona pandemic.
by SID / tennisnet
last edit: Mar 24, 2020, 03:03 pm
"I proposed postponing the games by a year, and President Bach agreed 100 percent," Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters in Tokyo on Tuesday.
The Summer Games were scheduled to take place in Tokyo from July 24th to August 9th. An alternative date is not yet known. The same applies to the Paralympics in Tokyo, which were to take place from August 25 to September 6.
After a decisive discussion with IOC President Thomas Bach on Tuesday morning, Abe emphasized that the Olympic Games in the coming year should become "evidence" for humanity's victory over the pandemic. According to Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike, the competitions will continue to be called "Tokyo 2020" in a year. In a communication with those responsible in Japan, the IOC described the interview as "friendly and constructive".
"Protect the health of athletes and those involved"
The statement said: "Under the current circumstances and based on information provided by WHO today, the IOC President and the Japanese Prime Minister have concluded that the XXXII Olympiad games in Tokyo will be one after the other 2020, but no later than summer 2021, to protect the health of athletes, everyone involved in the Olympic Games and the international community. "
The postponement of the summer games to the coming year was the logical decision after the developments of the past weeks and days. The spread of COVID-19 disease by the coronavirus is progressing worldwide. As a result, the worries of the sports world grew. On Tuesday lunchtime, there were more than 390,000 Corona infections worldwide, and more than 17,000 people lost their lives. The number grows every day.
More and more representatives therefore spoke out in no way to let the games take place this summer. Most recently, the US Olympic Committee USOPC pleaded for it. The USA is arguably the most important partner for the IOC, not least because of the billions of NBC rights holders.
In the tennis field, Monica Puig triumphed sensationally over Angelique Kerber in the women's category in 2016, and Andy Murray's victory in the men's final over Juan Martin del Potro