Tokyo Olympics 2020 postponed for 1 year
Tokyo Olympics 2020 has been deferred for 1 year, Olympic Minister said we can think about organising the games only after the outbreak of Covid-19 ends.
The meeting was agreed to be postponed after talks between Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and International Olympic Association President Thomak Bach on Tuesday. as per the official website of the Olympics, the games will now be rescheduled to a date beyond 2020 but no later than the summer of 2021. There was increasing pressure on the IOC to avoid frequent games. The games were to be held from 24 July to 9 August this year.
An important cabinet meeting was held on Tuesday at Prime Minister Abe’s house. Then Olympic Minister Seiko Hashimoto said that the Tokyo Olympics can only happen when the coronavirus epidemic ends. On the other hand, Canada and Australia have denied participation in the Olympics. These two countries have said that they will not send their players to the Tokyo Games. It was agreed that the Olympic flame will stay in Japan. It was also agreed that the Games will keep the name Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020.
‘Safety of players is important for us’
Canada issued a statement saying – Canada Olympic Committee (COC) and Canada Paralympic Committee (CPC) have taken a tough decision not to send their players to Tokyo after discussing with the Athletes Commission, National Sports Federation and Government of Canada. Nothing is more important to us than the health of the players and the world community.
Olympic cancellation is not on the agenda: IOC
The chairman of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach, said there is an option to postpone the Olympics. But cancelling is not on our agenda. Bach said, “We had discussions with partners about the situation around the world and the impact on the Olympics.” It also includes postponing games. The decision will be taken in the next 4 weeks. ‘
It may be necessary to postpone: Shinzo Abe
Earlier, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that it may be necessary to postpone the Tokyo Games. Abe said in Parliament on Monday – We are committed to organizing the games. But the safety of the players cannot be compromised.
China said – will accept the decision of IOC
Australia’s Olympic Committee (AOC) said – We have asked our players to prepare for the Tokyo Olympics to be held in 2021. In the current situation, it will be very difficult for our players to gather a place or go abroad. Meanwhile, China said that whatever decision Japan and IOC take, we will respect it.
70% of US players in favor of postponing Olympics: Survey
More than 70 percent of US players are in favor of postponing the Olympics. The American newspaper USA Today asked 300 American players questions about the Olympics. 70 per cent of the players said that the games should be postponed while 23 per cent said that it would depend on the situation at that time whether the games should be held or not. When the players were asked whether the Tokyo Olympics should be held on time, 41 per cent said that this was not the right idea.
Wait and Watch Policy: IOA
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has said that it will follow the policy of wait and watch for the next one month if it participates in the Olympics. IOA Secretary General Rajiv Mehta said – We are constantly monitoring the situation. We are following the policy of Wait and watch for the next one month. The decision will be taken after consultation with the IOC and the Sports Ministry. The Sports Ministry has closed all the centers. All tournaments have been postponed. Only those camps are going on, where the Olympic training is going on.
