US, New Zealand join calls for Tokyo Games to be postponed
- The Sankei newspaper reported Japan's government is negotiating with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to postpone the Games by up to a year, in what would be a first in the Olympics' 124-year modern history.
- The IOC and Japanese government have announced a month-long consultation before a final decision is made.
The United States added its significant weight to calls for the Tokyo Games to be postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, with New Zealand Olympic organisers seeking a swift decision to allow teams to reset and prepare for a delayed event.
The Sankei newspaper reported Japan's government is negotiating with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to postpone the Games by up to a year, in what would be a first in the Olympics' 124-year modern history.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe would hold talks over the phone with IOC President Thomas Bach at 1100 GMT on Tuesday, the Japanese government said.
The IOC and Japanese government have announced a month-long consultation before a final decision is made.
On Monday, former IOC board member Dick Pound said the Swiss-based body appeared to have decided to delay the event, likely for a year, due to the virus.
The outbreak has now infected more than 377,000 across 194 countries and territories globally as of Tuesday morning, according to a Reuters tally, with over 16,500 deaths linked to the virus.
Efforts to contain it have led to major travel, commercial and social restrictions, which have also disrupted many athletes' preparations for the Games.
Major sporting powers Canada and Australia have already said they will not be sending teams to Tokyo if the Games go ahead as scheduled this year, and British organisers said they were likely to follow suit after meeting with sporting body representatives on Tuesday.
The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee said it had listened to feedback from athletes and was encouraged by a clearer path towards postponement.
"Our most important conclusion from this broad athlete response is that even if the current significant health concerns could be alleviated by late summer, the enormous disruptions to the training environment, doping controls and qualification process can't be overcome in a satisfactory manner," the USOPC said in a statement on Monday.
The United States is by far the most successful nation in the history of the modern Summer Games, while the rights deal with American broadcaster NBC to televise the Olympics represents from 50% to 70% of the IOC's total annual revenues.
'Theme parks of emotions'
Tony Estanguet, head of the Paris 2024 Olympics organising committee and an IOC member, said a delay of the 2020 Olympics was likely but that health took priority.
"Today the Games are not the priority, the priority is health, and that is how the world of sports contributes to that international solidarity," Estanguet said on France Info radio.
New Zealand Olympic organisers also came out in support of a delay.
"We fully support current steps to postpone the Olympic and Paralympic Games. This decision needs to be made quickly to provide the athletes, coaches and support staff with certainty, which will allow them to focus on their wellbeing at this critical time, while resetting and recalibrating for Tokyo."
Any delay would face major logistical difficulties given the crowded global sporting calendar and other commercial considerations.
But a groundswell of concern from athletes - already struggling to train as gyms, stadiums and swimming pools close around the world - appeared to be tipping the balance, along with the cancellation of other major sports events.
"I have ridden not just a rollercoaster but the entire theme park of emotions," Keesja Gofers, part of the Australian women's water polo team, said on Instagram.
"I am relieved. Athletes around the world will now have the chance at a proper preparation and the Olympics can, on whatever date they are held, continue to be a coming together of the world's best at their best."
World Athletics said on Monday they would be willing to move their 2021 world championships scheduled for Aug. 6-15 in Eugene, Oregon to clear a path for a 2021 Olympics.
Japan and the IOC have said calling off the Games entirely is not an option.
An Olympics postponement would be a blow for host country Japan, which has pumped in more than $12 billion of investment, and huge sums are also at stake for sponsors and broadcasters.
A poll showed about 70% of the Japanese think it is appropriate to delay the Olympics, the Sankei said.
The Olympics have never before been delayed, though they were cancelled altogether in 1916, 1940 and 1944 during the two world wars. Major Cold War boycotts also disrupted the Moscow and Los Angeles Games in 1980 and 1984.