Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 postponed

By Pattaya Mail

March 25, 2020

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24 March 2020 -Joint Statement from the International Olympic Committee and the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee

Imoto Naoko was part of the Japan swimming team at the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games, where she finished fourth in the 4x200 freestyle relay. Whilst that was certainly a fond memory for her, ever since, the 43-year-old former Olympic swimmer has devoted her life to helping others. — Imoto Naoko was part of the Japan swimming team at the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games, where she finished fourth in the 4×200 freestyle relay. Whilst that was certainly a fond memory for her, ever since, the 43-year-old former Olympic swimmer has devoted her life to helping others.

The President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach, and the Prime Minister of Japan, Abe Shinzo, held a conference call this morning to discuss the constantly changing environment with regard to COVID-19 and the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

They were joined by Mori Yoshiro, the President of the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee; the Olympic Minister, Hashimoto Seiko; the Governor of Tokyo, Koike Yuriko; the Chair of the IOC Coordination Commission, John Coates; IOC Director General Christophe De Kepper; and the IOC Olympic Games Executive Director, Christophe Dubi.

President Bach and Prime Minister Abe expressed their shared concern about the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, and what it is doing to people’s lives and the significant impact it is having on global athletes’ preparations for the Games.

The scaled-down ceremony in Athens featured gold medalists, emotional addresses and a message of hope and unity, with the flame now set to travel to Japan. The Olympic flag was raised, and the national anthems of Japan and Greece sounded, as the Olympic flame handover ceremony took place at Athens’ iconic Panathenaic Stadium.

In a very friendly and constructive meeting, the two leaders praised the work of the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee and noted the great progress being made in Japan to fight against COVID-19.

The unprecedented and unpredictable spread of the outbreak has seen the situation in the rest of the world deteriorating. Yesterday, the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said that the COVID-19 pandemic is “accelerating”. There are more than 375,000 cases now recorded worldwide and in nearly every country, and their number is growing by the hour.

The President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach.

In the present circumstances and based on the information provided by the WHO today, the IOC President and the Prime Minister of Japan have concluded that the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo must be rescheduled to a date beyond 2020 but not later than summer 2021, to safeguard the health of the athletes, everybody involved in the Olympic Games and the international community.

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The leaders agreed that the Olympic Games in Tokyo could stand as a beacon of hope to the world during these troubled times and that the Olympic flame could become the light at the end of the tunnel in which the world finds itself at present. Therefore, it was agreed that the Olympic flame will stay in Japan. It was also agreed that the Games will keep the name Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020. (Olympics.org)