The International Olympic Committee has once again reiterated its commitment to hosting this summer’s Olympic Games in Tokyo, insisting there is “no need for drastic decisions” to be made at this stage.
The IOC consulted the international federations of all the sports scheduled to hold events at the Games on Tuesday.
Many have seen their own fixture lists, including crucial Olympic qualifying events, thrown into disarray by the coronavirus outbreak.
Organisers have regularly said that no firm decision on whether or not the Games can go ahead needs to be taken until the end of May, but as the world of sport has gone into shutdown, fears have grown that the event will have to be postponed or even cancelled altogether.
A statement said: “The IOC remains fully committed to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, and with more than four months to go before the Games there is no need for any drastic decisions at this stage; and any speculation at this moment would be counter-productive.”
Only 57 per cent of the athletes set to compete at the Games have been confirmed, and many of them face significant disruption to their training and competition plans in the build-up.
It seems highly unlikely that the remaining 43 per cent of places will be able to be allocated through the planned qualifying processes. The IOC says any necessary changes to qualifying will be dealt with on a sport-by-sport basis and communicated to athletes by the beginning of April.
“The IOC encourages all athletes to continue to prepare for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 as best they can,” it said. “We will keep supporting the athletes by consulting with them and their respective NOCs, and by providing them with the latest information and developments, which are accessible for athletes worldwide on the Athlete365 website and via their respective NOCs and IFs.”
