05 Mar 2020 Questions remain over Tokyo Olympic Games as Coronavirus forces shutdown of sports events BY Tom Walker |
International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach has admitted that the escalating Coronavirus outbreak is posing challenges for athletes trying to qualify for Tokyo 2020. The list of sports events being cancelled due to the virus is getting longer each day – and has included many of the elite events acting as de-facto qualifiers for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. An event taking place in Tokyo, designed to train volunteers for the Games, has also been postponed from February to May. The Tokyo Games are set to take place in the Japanese capital from 24 July to 9 August. Italy, one of the countries worst affected by COVID-19 (the strain of Coronavirus that has caused the epidemic) has made a decision that all sporting events will be played behind closed doors until 3 April in an effort to contain the bug. The decision will affect all Italy's Serie A games – one of the world's leading football leagues – while the Six Nations rugby match between Italy and England has also been postponed. Speaking during the IOC's executive board meeting, Bach said that – despite the widespread effect the virus was having on global sport – there are no "ongoing discussions" over moving or postponing the Tokyo Games. "I can tell you that in the meeting of the IOC executive board neither the word 'cancellation' nor the word 'postponement' was even mentioned," Bach said. He added, however, that a joint task force led by IOC and the organising committee of Tokyo 2020 had been formed to discuss and assess the potential threat posed by COVID-19. "Of course we are a responsible organisation, this is why we have this joint taskforce which is having regular meetings and we are addressing any issues which may arise, but we are not speculating on any kind of future developments," Bach said. Analysis: COVID-19 and its effect on sport A list of events cancelled or postponed by the outbreak, by sport: ARCHERY
ATHLETICS
BADMINTON
BIATHLON
CLIMBING
F1 (Motor racing)
FOOTBALL
GOLF
ICE HOCKEY
MODERN PENTATHLON
MOTORCYCLING
ROWING
RUGBY
SKIING
SPEED SKATING
SWIMMING
TABLE TENNIS
TAEKWONDO
TENNIS
TRIATHLON
VOLLEYBALL
WATER POLO
Close Window |