ATHENS (Reuters) – The International Olympic Committee is stepping up its “circumstance preparation” for the Tokyo 2020 Games– consisting of a possible post ponement– as the coronavirus pandemic spreads, it said after an emergency situation meeting on Sunday.
Individuals take selfies in front of the huge Olympic rings at the waterfront area at Odaiba Marine Park in Tokyo, Japan, March 22,2020 REUTERS/Issei Kato
The IOC will hold discussions that will include an alternative of putting back the July 24 start date or even moving the Games by a year or more due to the international coronavirus break out, however stated cancelling the Games would not solve problems or assist anybody.
” Therefore, cancellation is not on the agenda,” the IOC said in a statement, adding that the in-depth conversations would be finished within the next four weeks.
The Olympics has actually never been delayed or cancelled throughout peacetime but the IOC’s decision to even think about postponement was consulted with remedy for several significant stakeholders, consisting of World Sports, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and major nationwide Olympic committees.
Under mounting pressure from professional athletes, federations and national committees to hold off the Games, the IOC did a partial U-turn on Sunday after long insisting, with Tokyo organisers, that the Games would proceed as planned.
The IPC, whose Tokyo Paralympics are set for Aug. 25 to Sept. 6, said the IOC took the best decision under the situations.
” The next 4 weeks will offer time to see if the international health scenario enhances, while offering a window of opportunity to look