Tokyo Olympics WILL be postponed until 2021, veteran IOC member Dick Pound says
- Olympics, due to take place in July this year, may not go ahead due to Covid-19
- Japan’s Prime Minister had warned that delaying Olympics was inevitable
- Team Canada and Team Australia had already pulled out of all events
Tokyo Olympics will be postponed until 2021, veteran IOC member Dick Pound said today.
The International Olympics Committee member has said that the competition will not take place as planned this year.
Pound told USA Today: ‘On the basis of the information the IOC has, postponement has been decided.
Dick Pound (pictured) has confirmed today that the Tokyo 2020 Olympics will be postponed
‘The parameters going forward have not been determined, but the Games are not going to start on July 24, that much I know.
‘It will come in stages. We will postpone this and begin to deal with all the ramifications of moving this, which are immense.’
It follows Japan’s prime minister Shinzo Abe has conceded that a delay to the Tokyo Olympic Games could be ‘inevitable’ as the world continues to battle the coronavirus pandemic.
On Monday, Abe told parliament that Japan was still committed to hosting a ‘complete’ Games, but added: ‘If that becomes difficult, in light of considering athletes first, it may become inevitable that we make a decision to postpone.’
The decision came as Team Canada and Team Australia announced they will not be sending athletes if the games are staged this year.