{"id":421892,"date":"2020-03-11T04:24:11","date_gmt":"2020-03-11T11:24:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=421892"},"modified":"2020-03-11T06:12:28","modified_gmt":"2020-03-11T13:12:28","slug":"olympic-games-could-be-delayed-1-2-years-tokyo-2020-board-member-believes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/olympic-games-could-be-delayed-1-2-years-tokyo-2020-board-member-believes\/","title":{"rendered":"Olympic Games Could Be Delayed 1-2 Years, Tokyo 2020 Board Member Believes"},"content":{"rendered":"

A delay of one or two years would be the \u201cmost feasible\u201d option if the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games<\/strong> could not be held this July and August due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) global health emergency<\/strong>, a member of the organising committee\u2019s executive board has told Reuters<\/em>, the news agency.<\/p>\n

Haruyuki Takahashi<\/strong>, one of more than two dozen members of the Tokyo 2020 executive board, revealed that the leadership group had just started looking at scenarios for how the virus could affect the Games.<\/p>\n

The message so far from organisers and the International Olympic Committee (IOC)<\/strong> has been a consistent “Games must go on”, as sponsors who have pumped in billions of dollars grow increasingly nervous about how the coronavirus outbreak will affect their investment in the Games. That official message did not change today.<\/p>\n

Takahashi now tells Reuters<\/em> that the financial damage from cancelling the Games or holding them without spectators would be too great, while a delay of less than a year would clash with other major professional sports schedules, making it unworkable for broadcasters such as lead broadcast-rights holder NBC. The first person in high authority to suggest a delay of such magnitude, Takahashi said:<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to start preparing for any possibility. If the Games can\u2019t be held in the summer, a delay of one or two years would be most feasible.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Tokyo 2020 organisers issued a statement to say that neither they nor the IOC was considering postponing or cancelling the Games. The statement noted:<\/p>\n
\u201cWe sought clarification from Mr. Takahashi; he stated he had inadvertently given his personal opinion in response to a hypothetical question.\u00a0As IOC President (Thomas Bach) stated the other day, neither the IOC nor the organising committee are considering postponing or cancelling the Tokyo 2020 Games, and we are proceeding with our preparations for a safe and secure Games opening on July 24, 2020, as planned.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Individuals at both the IOC and Tokyo 2020 have been considering other options, of course, and the IOC has confirmed that it is in constant contact with the World Health Organisation<\/strong>\u00a0 (WHO)<\/a> and is monitoring the situation, an indication that alternatives would have to be considered as part of standard contingency planning.<\/p>\n
Seiko Hashimoto<\/strong>, the Olympic Minister for Japan<\/strong>, shored that up when she told Parliament:<\/p>\n
“From the viewpoint of athletes who are the main protagonists in the Tokyo Games, as they are making adjustments and preparations for this once-in-four-years event … it is inconceivable to cancel or postpone.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The decision to do so was, she noted, in the hands of the IOC.<\/p>\n
Experts say a one-year postponement to the same time next year would pose major logistical problems but was doable for broadcasters.<\/p>\n
Hashimoto has previously noted that the contract with the IOC allows postponement within the same year, 2020. That would be the most acceptable option in terms of the athletes, even if broadcasters have reason to disagree. Any delay to another year could have marked consequences for some athletes at the peak of their careers this year; at the end of their careers this year; and looking forward to what would be their Olympic debuts.<\/p>\n
Dick Pound, the IOC member from Canada and former Commonwealth swimming champion, said last month that c<\/a>ancellation was more likely the postponement because of the logistical nightmare of a shift and time and possibly even venues, while D-Day would wait until May.<\/span><\/p>\n
One of the key arguments for delay is anti-doping: WADA is monitoring “gaps” in the testing system<\/a> in an attempt to deliver a “fair” outcome and Games but acknowledges that the coronavirus outbreak delivers circumstances that have knocked testing programs, including period of almost a month in China when no testing took place at all, for obvious public safety reasons.<\/p>\n
$\"washhands\"$
Wash Hands! Photo Courtesy: Craig Lord<\/p><\/div>\n
Cancellation of the Games would also, in pure terms of impact on athletes, evoke memories of events in history that had a crippling effect on the sportsmen and women denied their moment at the height of their abilities.<\/a><\/p>\n
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Commentary:\u00a0Precaution & Perspective Not Panic Over Coronavirus But Let\u2019s Not Wash Our Hands Of Athlete Safety & Human Interest<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The Coronavirus Spread<\/h3>\n
The novel coronavirus strain, which causes the COVID-19 illness marked by severe and life-threatening respiratory disease in some patients, has infected more than 116,000 people and killed more than 4,000 around the world since it surfaced in China late last year.<\/p>\n
Japan has reported nearly 1,300 cases, yesterday marking the biggest rise in cases as 59 new infections were reported, according to public broadcaster NHK.<\/p>\n
While comparisons continue to be made, medical personnel on the ground in places where the epidemic has hit hard, continue to issue warnings countering complacency and noting the severity of the COVID-19 illness. This thread is one of many examples:<\/p>\n
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From a well respected friend and intensivist\/A&E consultant who is currently in northern Italy:
1\/ \u2018I feel the pressure to give you a quick personal update about what is happening in Italy, and also give some quick direct advice about what you should do.<\/p>\n
— Jason Van Schoor (@jasonvanschoor) March 9, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n