Decision on Tokyo Olympics 2020 to be taken in 4 weeks: IOC president

Coronavirus: IOC President Thomas Bach makes it clear that cancelling Tokyo Olympics 2020 is not on the agenda

By AFP
March 23, 2020
Photo: AFP

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach on Sunday said that the decision to move forward with the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will be made "in the next four weeks". 

"Human lives take precedence over everything, including the staging of the Games," Bach wrote in an open letter to athletes.

"A final decision about the date of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 now would still be premature," he said.


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Bach stated that while the coronavirus pandemic threatens to cancel the event, the only viable option is to postpone it as the former option was "not on the agenda". 

"Cancellation would not solve any problem and would help nobody," Bach said. "Therefore it is not on our agenda."

Meanwhile, the IOC has faced strong pressure to push back the Games, which was scheduled for July 24 to August 9, from sporting federations and athletes as the world grapples with the pathogen. 

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