Postponement of Tokyo Olympics inevitable, official says

LOS ANGELES — Senior International Olympic Committee (IOC) official Dick Pound says a postponement of this year’s Tokyo Olympics is now inevitable, as the world reels from the coronavirus pandemic.

The IOC said yesterday the body would wait four more weeks before announcing its decision on the fate of the July 24-August 9 Games, amid mounting calls for them to be rescheduled.

Pound however believes the IOC — which ruled out a cancellation of the Games — is now laying the groundwork for a postponement.

“My interpretation of the IOC’s communications is they don’t want to cancel, and they don’t think they can continue with the July 24 date,” Pound tells AFP. “So you’re looking at the ‘P’ word – postponement.

“They’re going to explore options with the Japanese of course, and then there all kinds of stakeholders — international federations, NOCs, athletes.

“And then in four weeks, they’re going to try and come out with a plan B and make it as specific as they can make it in that time period.”

Pound, who is Canadian, says the “astonishing” spread of COVID-19 across the globe left the IOC with no other choice.

“This is not something that’s going to clear up by July 24,” Pound says.

“And this thing isn’t going to go away by September or October. A lot of the biggest countries in the world are just about overwhelmed, and it’s just starting to take root in Africa. It’s a no-go in my view.”

A one-year postponement to 2021 remained the most likely option, Pound adds.

— AFP