As a result of the current Covid-19 pandemic, the Tokyo Olympics have been postponed. The IOC have released a statement saying: “The IOC President and the Prime Minister of Japan have concluded that the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo must be rescheduled to a date beyond 2020 but not later than summer 2021.“
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The president of the Director-General of World Health Organisation, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said the Covid-19 pandemic is “accelerating” and that there are more than 375,000 cases now recorded worldwide.
This is the first time the modern Olympic Games have been postponed, although they have been cancelled twice before.
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In a statement the Chief Executive of the British Olympic Association, Andy Anson, said: “It is with profound sadness that we accept the postponement, but in all consciousness it is the only decision we can support, in light of the devastating impact COVID-19 is having on our nation, our communities and our families.
“Alongside UK Sport and the BPA, we have consulted with the National Governing Bodies of summer Olympic and Paralympic sports and with athlete representative groups, including our Athletes’ Commissions and the British Athletes’ Commission. It is with their input and support that we have an unanimous view that the impact of COVID-19 on athletes’ training and preparation means their regimes are now compromised irreparably. It is time for them to stop thinking about Tokyo 2020 for now and be home and safe with their families.”
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The leaders of the Tokyo games said that “the Olympic Games in Tokyo could stand as a beacon of hope to the world during these troubled times and that the Olympic flame could become the light at the end of the tunnel in which the world finds itself at present. Therefore, 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.”