The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and host nation Japan have formerly agreed to postpone the 2020 Olympics by one year.
The development was announced on Tuesday following the intense spread of the coronavirus across the globe.
Japan’s Prime Minister, said in a statement, “agreed 100%” on the proposal and the Games will be held by summer 2021 at the latest.
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“We asked President Bach to consider postponement of about one year to make it possible for athletes to play in the best condition, and to make the event a safe and secure one for spectators.”
Meanwhile, Abe also said IOC President, Thomas Bach, agreed with the decision, “President Bach said he is in agreement 100 percent,” he said.
The IOC is expected to officially announce the development later in the day.
Some weeks ago, A senior member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said outright cancellation of the games, rather than postponement or relocation, would be likely if the disease proved too dangerous for the event – which is scheduled to start on 24 July – to go ahead.
Dick Pound, a former Canadian swimming champion who has been on the IOC since 1978, repeated the IOC’s stance – that it is relying on consultations with the World Health Organization, a United Nations body, to make any move.
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As for the possibility of postponement, he said: “You just don’t postpone something on the size and scale of the Olympics. There are so many moving parts, so many countries and different seasons, and competitive seasons, and television seasons. You can’t just say, ‘We’ll do it in October.’”
Pound said moving to another city also seems unlikely “because there are few places in the world that could think of gearing up facilities in that short time to put something on”.
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