Tokyo 2020 Olympics to be postponed, says IOC official

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics will likely be postponed due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic, according to an official of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Dick Pound, a long-time member of the IOC, said per an online report that the Olympics will definitely not begin on July 24 and that the postponement may last until 2021.

“On the basis of the information the IOC has, postponement has been decided,” Pound said in a phone interview. “The parameters going forward have not been determined, but the Games are not going to start on July 24, that much I know.”

Pound has gone on the record a month ago to say that the Olympics will likely be cancelled rather than postponed.

As of March 23, Australia and Canada have decided not to participate in the games while the United Kingdom will likely not join the games as well.

Pound added:

“It will come in stages … We will postpone this and begin to deal with all the ramifications of moving this, which are immense.”

Organizers of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics have been firm in the past weeks, believing that the prestigious event will still push through.

The current seasons of multiple sporting leagues, including the NBA, Premier League, La Liga, and even the UEFA Euro 2020, have already been suspended.

Coronavirus cases have reached close to 370,000 worldwide. China, Italy, the United States, Spain, Germany, Iran, and France all have more than 10,000 cases each.