Tokyo 2020 Games officially postponed to 2021
by US Sailing Team 25 Mar 2020 19:15 NZDT
Stephanie Roble and Maggie Shea, 49erFX World Championship Bronze Medalists and Tokyo 2020 U.S. Olympic Sailing Team athletes © Drew Malcolm
In an official statement released today, The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee issued the following joint statement announcing the postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
"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. 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."
Read more about the joint statement here.
In response to the statement, Jack Gierhart, CEO of US Sailing, said, "We appreciate the clarity this decision provides, as athlete safety is first and foremost. Moving forward our dedicated staff will provide leadership and support to the athletes as they continue their preparation for the Olympic Games. Competing in the Games is an unprecedented athletic achievement and although today's announcement may bring moments of disappointment for some of our athletes, we will adapt, remain focused on our mission and be fully prepared when the Games do get under way."