Will the Olympics happen? USA Track and Field joins call to postpone over coronavirus
USA Track and Field joined a growing movement Saturday, requesting the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo be postponed as the coronavirus spreads globally.
The organization asked the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee to advocate for the summer Olympics to be delayed, citing concerns about athlete safety and how to properly train during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This is a critical time for our athletes to train and compete, as they seek to put themselves in the best possible position to represent our country,” USA Track and Field CEO Max Siegel wrote in a letter Friday. “Our goal remains to achieve athletic excellence during the Olympic Games, but not at the expense of the safety and well-being of our athletes.”
USA Swimming asked the committee to push for postponement of the Olympics on the same day, asking for a one-year postponement.
“The right and responsible thing to do is to prioritize everyone’s health and safety and appropriately recognize the toll this global pandemic is taking on athletic preparations,” USA Swimming CEO Tim Hinchey wrote in the letter.
USA Gymnastics, a third major sport in the summer Olympics, is surveying its athletes for feedback on a stance for the organization, ESPN reported.
The Olympic committees for Brazil and Norway have requested a postponement.
On Thursday, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said in an interview with The New York Times it was too early to determine whether the games will happen.
“Nobody today can tell you what the developments are tomorrow, what they are in one month, not to mention in more than four months,” Bach said. “Therefore it would not be responsible in any way to set a date or take a decision right now, which would be based on the speculation about the future developments.”
He later said the IOC is considering “different scenarios,” adding that the Olympics are still four months away.
The Olympics are set begin July 24.
Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said he wants to hold the Olympics in their “complete form” and “without reducing the scale, and with the spectators also able to enjoy the feeling” of the games, Bloomberg reported.
Abe appears to be changing his messaging on the coronavirus pandemic and its effect on the Olympics, suggesting he may be open to postponing the event, the news outlet reported.
This story was originally published March 21, 2020 at 12:43 PM with the headline "Will the Olympics happen? USA Track and Field joins call to postpone over coronavirus."