|
|
|
2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games Postponed until Next Year over Coronavirus Concerns |
|
Tags:
Coronavirus, COVID-19, Japan, Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, Tokyo.
Posted on 25 March 2020 by "T".
|
 The much anticipated global competition is the biggest sporting event to be affected by the coronavirus pandemic
Much to the dismay of thousands of athletes all over the world, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics is yet another global major sporting event that has been postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
On Tuesday March 24, Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe officially announced that the Tokyo 2020 Olympics have been postponed.
Thomas Bach, the president of the International Olympic Committee, held a conference call with Abe that Tuesday morning to discuss what should be done, to delay or cancel the games, due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus pandemic.
Due to present circumstances of the increasing viral outbreak and based on the information by the World Health Organization, the IOC President and the Prime Minister of Japan have mutually concluded that the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo should be re-scheduled not later than summer 2021, to ensure the health of athletes and all those involved in the Olympic Games and the international community.
Abe said, "Considering the current situation, in regards to the Tokyo Games, as the host nation, in order to ensure that athletes from all over the world are able to compete in their best condition, and also in order to ensure the utmost safety for the spectators, I have asked him to consider postponing the games by about a year."
In a joint statement from the International Olympic Committee and the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee, "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."
The Olympics is the biggest event yet to be affected by the worldwide pandemic. The games were originally scheduled to run July 24 to August 9, and the Paralympics on August 25 to September 6, 2020.
Even though it will be taking place in 2021, the event will still be called Tokyo 2020.
With athletes unable to train safely, and the calendar of Olympic and Paralympic qualifying events reduced amid lockdowns and travel restrictions, a cancellation or postponement was looming on the horizon.
International Paralympic Committee president Andrew Parsons said that the decision to postpone was the only logical option, "The health and wellbeing of human life must always be our number-one priority and staging a sporting event of any kind during this pandemic is simply not possible."
"Sport is not the most important thing right now, preserving human life is. It is essential, therefore, that all steps are taken to try to limit the spread of this disease. By taking this decision now, everyone involved in the Paralympic movement, including all Para-athletes, can fully focus on their own health and wellbeing and staying safe during this unprecedented and difficult time."
This is the first-ever major disruption to the Olympics since World War II, when the 1944 Summer Olympics was cancelled. The 1916 Summer Olympics to be held in Berlin, German Empire was also cancelled due to the outbreak of World War I. The 1940 Summer and Winter Olympics to be held in Tokyo were also cancelled because of World War II.
The IOC is no stranger to dealing with potential health threats in the past years, but none became so serious that it affected their scheduled timeline. There were concerns about the swine flu before the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, the Zika virus during the 2016 Rio Olympics, and the bird flu ahead of the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics.
This is definitely the biggest decision that the world of sports has seen during a time of peace. The decision to move the multi-billion dollar sporting event will have widespread legal, logistical, political and financial ramifications, both in Japan and around the world.
Other than finances, this decision will also cause significant disruptions for athletes, many of whom have set aside college or other opportunities in order to train full-time with the aim of being in top shape in July. Now, they will have to put their training on hold and most likely some unfortunate ones could be forced to give them up ultimately, their Olympic dreams dashed.
The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), which infected more than 380,000 individuals and claimed over 17,000 lives, has forced millions of people all around the world into lockdowns to help curb its spread. Up to now the coronavirus still continues to spread, shutting down entire cities and infecting people in over 160 countries across six continents.
Source:
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/mar/24/tokyo-olympics-to-be-postponed-to-2021-due-to-coronavirus-pandemic
https://www.olympic.org/news/joint-statement-from-the-international-olympic-committee-and-the-tokyo-2020-organising-committee
|
Related Articles:
41 comments on "2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games Postponed until Next Year over Coronavirus Concerns"
| dule-vu | 30/03/2020 18:33:28 GMT |
you didnt know that for them football is american football (like rugby) and soccer is our football?cant believe!
yeah,I know lot of things from greece football,especially about olympiakos,because they are brother club with my Red Star,also delije and gate7!
nobody cant prepare for next match or olympic games,when nobody know when it will start and you need at least one month to go back in shape!
|
| antonis321 | 30/03/2020 22:19:51 GMT |
No dule-vu , I didn't know  i thought football or soccer are words being used for this sport all over the world , in every country , the one word or the other
You are right , Olympiacos and Red Star are brother clubs , whenever they play between them , their fans are together in the streets , the squares , in common marches , they are together . Ofcourse the victory is always the only outcome these teams seek for , when playing against each other , like always , like with eevry other team , but then the defeat might not be so painfull
It's very good to see that such brother clubs exist in Europe or in the rest of the world , this friendship and proximity among fans from different countries , for one sport or all sports
|
| dule-vu | 31/03/2020 18:45:17 GMT |
yeah,americans must be special,so they call football as their american football and soccer for normal football,that whole world know what is football!
yeah,lot of clubs from serbia are brother club with some club from russia and greece,same as fans!
as we can see who know will we watch any sport in next two or three months!
|
| antonis321 | 02/04/2020 07:06:33 GMT |
dule-vu , I find it very strang e, maybe rediculous , all the world to call this sport football and the Americans to call it socer , and use the word football for thei kind of Americn football , they should have cjosen another word . I also don't like America ''football'' , or rugby .....
So many cancellations and postponements of athletic events .
The leagues stop their games , their future is uncertain .
I registered in 365.gr yesterday , I saw no events at all , only one two chinese if I remember correctly . Not only in football , but in other well known sportds . Football events today/this week ?? Belorussia , Nicaragua , and ofcourse ... Tajikistan 
Ful of esports and virtual or fantasy games nowadays . but no real sport event ..
I remember the past months/years , when I could open one of these sportbetting sites and see inumerable sport events , choices to bet , live streamings , now they are almost dead . Thanks God they have casino games or else they would starve , lol Also online poker .
bet365.gr added poker , although in the past it did.t have . But I saw only cash games !!!! no tournaments (or sngs or spins or whatever else ) !!! . '' Fast rake and take your money easily/fast , cause we don't have any or many profits by other means except for casino '' ?? Very strange , cause bet365.gr is part of bet365.com , which has evrything else (tournaments , sngs ,also freerolls ) . Why they offer only cash games ?? I won't play for sure these '' cash games '', I don't like this kind of ''sneaky games'' with players and their deposits , F them . I 'll see in 15 days or one month if they add tournaments , or else I unregister and delete this page , password , everything from my chrome (and my pc ) ....
|
| dule-vu | 02/04/2020 19:30:11 GMT |
yeah,americans are always special in everything!they think that this is football,even most of play they play with hands,but ok!so they wanted another word for normal football!its same like they call world series for final in MLB or some other sports!how the hell its world,when its only in america?!no matter that this is best league on world in baseball or basketball,you cant call world series,its not world club championship!
and about poker,probably they are new on market and they didnt set up tournaments,maybe they dont how many players would play it!
|
| antonis321 | 03/04/2020 07:20:20 GMT |
I agree dule-vu with what you said about the so called world series when it's actually only in America , seems very odd to me
About poker in 365.gr ... When they started opersting in Greece , they offered only sportsbetting , casino , but no poker , although they are part of 365.com , which had/has poker . I created an account then ,forgot details cause I started playing sportsbetting on another site (better odds , with less minimum $$$ per bet choice) . Now I clicked , saw they have brought poker , got lured , and created a new account .
But they offer ONLY CASH GAMES !!!!! , that's crazy . If it was a new pokerroom I would understand it . But the are not !!!! Part of 365.com , which is old poker room !!! They have greek players on their sportsbetting sector , which now is more or less inactive due to sports cancellations . These players are not few . Also they would compete with other players in 365.com pool , they would have the chance to win $$ and generate more rake for 365.gr . I will not deposit if they don't add tournaments , sngs or other games in their lobby ......
Very strange , almost sneaky to me ...
https://i.gyazo.com/bfa7cb965e7d4b48ae878671c3f3e686.png
|
| CALICUL | 03/04/2020 13:48:26 GMT |
Interesting would be a COVID 20 over a few months and then if the governments do not do the right thing there is the possibility of a universal revolution. Athletes also need their jobs and keep fit through exercises and running. What an ugly situation.
|
| antonis321 | 04/04/2020 08:22:19 GMT |
Most important is this crisis to end , asap , everyone to get well and everyone leave this story to be forgotten , the same as with the first SARS virus , hopefully not in two years , not even in one year , but quicker , not that I find it probable with all the news I hear .
I used to see only few old , now i see most of the old , also too many younger or very young people with disinfection protection , very sad . As if I am a stupid for not taking precautions , they behave like we live in chemichal gass region or war time , WW1 battlefield , you feel sometimes that you breath the gass while they are safe , wtf ??
Yesterday night it had cold outside , I wasn't properly dressed , while I was walking I felt pain on my neck , i have to admit it crossed my mind for the first time the possibility to have gotten infected by this virus , despite my attitude towards this virus saga , the ongoing daily drama episodes or exaggerations ....
Watching so many with masks , looking at you as if you are the odd one , for not following the
dressing ''fashion'' . You cannot stay unaffected when everyone around you walks with masks , gloves , when they don't want you to get close to them closer than 2 meters , they want 2 meters distance one from another everywhere .
Basement extreme BDSM kind of psychological warefare , you are invited to join the action , behave accordingly , foreseeably  , by governments and their totalitarian regime practise and measures nowadays , by the known and unknown to you persons or relatives , it's really out of your hand to control it in a satisfactory way and stay unaffected , so sad ........... Even in countries with not so many deaths like in Greece (but with far more deaths by the simpier usual every year seasonal virus  , ofcoure no comparison at all , with other usual for the last decades causes of deaths )
Better this story end soon , all sport events or casinos or poker events or cultural events can take place someday in the future , this is the least of the problems nowadays , the social madness and exaggeratiomns are worse than the virus itself or anything else ............
|
| CALICUL | 04/04/2020 16:36:28 GMT |
| Many countries do not have road restrictions and people are moving, but in Romania, Spain, Italy, Germany, United Kingdom the circulation is stopped and a certificate is required in order to leave the house and to go at work or shopping. That means prison at home.
|
| dule-vu | 05/04/2020 18:03:01 GMT |
| now they want to move every sport and to be played over summer or even later,they just dont want to let that everything finish now and that new season start on september,because lot of money is in game and they want to delay everything as much as they can!but at least one good thing is here,now will be less money in sports and they will not players for 200 millions and so on!smaller clubs will have more chance!
|
| antonis321 | 06/04/2020 09:47:34 GMT |
Players well paid don't struggle so much these days because of the postponement of Olympics or the cancellation/postponement of other events . They have enough money , even to stop participating in athletic events for ever and start living like kings .
But for the rest athletes , this is a total catastrophe . ither it's the Olympics or the another World class or mjor continetal or domestic event . States and governments should try to help these people as well , fund them and motivate them to maintain their love for the sports , to keep on exercising and preparing for the events to come , cause this outbreak won't last for ever !!! At least the extreme restrictions will end someday soon I want to believe ...
|
| antonis321 | 07/04/2020 10:07:31 GMT |
The less famous or good athletes lose their sponsors , the can't aquire new sponsors due to inactivity , they might have problems maintaining their dody performace and developing their skills , less games in '' their feet or hands '' , they have less motivation to keep on doing what they love most, because there's no reward , help to keep on doing it .
Without games they don't have the chance to win money to pay bills and living expences , then the alternative choice to start a usual , casual job and quit sports FOR EVER , might be taken seriously into consideration . Not improbabble at all !!!!! Without profit , no motivation , with no motivation you will qui sooner or later , or keep on struggling like an idiot for moderate or worse , bottom level/class results and performance , a total lose of time , this applies everywhere in life !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
These days the ability to adapt so as to survive is needed more than ever , in such times you can see how great you are or not according to how much able you are to deal with a major crisis , find the best solutions to maximise protection , profits , secure your future ADAPTATION for athletes , poker players , casinos , workers , normal people , the old ones , everyone and every business !!!!
Good luck and strength for every athlete these challenging days for their survival , as well as to everyone else on the planet
|
| dule-vu | 07/04/2020 20:01:37 GMT |
| now its big fight about money in every sport,especially how they will pay players and to reduce salaries from them!they already know how much they will lose,so they want to take measures right now!but they also think that athletes will start playing right away,when this corona stop,but ofcourse they will need to train for at least one month before any game!
|
| antonis321 | 08/04/2020 01:50:00 GMT |
Believe me , if an athlete lose his physical condition for some months , he might not be able to come back the same as he was , mst probable this to happen , and ofcourse not stronger . Especially if he's not too young like 25 or younger , then things are more and more difficulttt . Ofcourse over 30s they must be doomed if they abandon training f, even for very small period of time .
They need to maintain their physical condition in order to maximise their performance and have the best results . With inactivity , due to lack of events , possible prizes , sponsors , rewards , basic income to keep on doing what they love , or isolation measures , I don't think they could go on training , especially if this crisis lasts for years !!!! I am not optimistic about athletes of the athletics events , like for the world athletics or most Olympics sports/games
|
| CALICUL | 08/04/2020 08:42:24 GMT |
We all know the physical condition of the athletes and i said that in another thread or maybe even here. Now the teams start training and probably in two or three weeks we will have football. Others who practice the rest of sports they will do the same. This is the situation.
|
| dule-vu | 08/04/2020 20:36:09 GMT |
Posted by antonis321: Believe me , if an athlete lose his physical condition for some months , he might not be able to come back the same as he was , mst probable this to happen , and ofcourse not stronger . Especially if he's not too young like 25 or younger , then things are more and more difficulttt . Ofcourse over 30s they must be doomed if they abandon training f, even for very small period of time . They need to maintain their physical condition in order to maximise their performance and have the best results . With inactivity , due to lack of events , possible prizes , sponsors , rewards , basic income to keep on doing what they love , or isolation measures , I don't think they could go on training , especially if this crisis lasts for years !!!! I am not optimistic about athletes of the athletics events , like for the world athletics or most Olympics sports/games |
they are already now in problems and you can imagine what will be situation after few more weeks,when they will not play anything!you can train at home,as some football players do,but this can be same as you do on pitch with other players!so at least one month they will need to train of field and to do same things as they do before start of season,to come in shape that they can play games every few days!10 or 15 days are just not enough!
|
| antonis321 | 09/04/2020 19:08:35 GMT |
Train at home ???It's not the same for sure , I cannot say there's even a comparison to training outdoors , in facilities that have everything to be trained completely and have every help or guidance .
I really don't know , an athlete can start training fully again and then start playing witht the same performance , even if he's older than some other athletes ?? Ofcourse , if he has an organised , complete gym at home things are better , but how many have this luxury ?? I don't believe everyone .
Also for competitive sports , they develop their skills by playing against other players , alone , even if they train their body everyday , it's not the same . Especially for older in age athletes
|
| dule-vu | 09/04/2020 22:23:41 GMT |
| you can imagine if they dont train at all at home,in what shape they would be after month or two!with this they can at least work something,but with nothing they couldnt even start after two months!but no matter what they do,they will need at least month to come in form that they had before this situation!
|
| CALICUL | 10/04/2020 10:50:45 GMT |
I saw that there are countries who released a little these laws that kept people in homes. Germany is one of them but there are others who have need someone to pick their fruits and vegetables and they began to bring workers from Eastern Europe there. It's a good start for everything.
|
| antonis321 | 10/04/2020 20:16:40 GMT |
| At the end of the crisis , most will be with belly fat , fat legs and arms , they might start drnking a lot . The only athletic activity to take part then , would be sumo wrestling , LOL . They might start smoking a lot to forget their trouble situation , then they will be tottaly useless for sports . Players or athletes like CR7 in football or others in other sports couldn't care less if they stopped now their career , they have tones of dollar papers , they could use some of these instead of toilet paper during this crisis . LOL
|
| CALICUL | 11/04/2020 11:00:25 GMT |
| At the Tokyo Olympics, no results can be canceled at this time but for football it is sad if the championships will be canceled. I read in the newspaper about a player from Liverpool who said he was pleased if the Premier League was canceled. This is very bad for the team.
|
| antonis321 | 11/04/2020 21:04:41 GMT |
| If a great league like the Premier league , maybe the greatest in the world , gets cancelled finally ,that would be tottaly insane . So many businesses will be affected , money lost . Cannot imagine this to happen , they have to find a way for such or similar to this leagues , sport series or events to be run , even with very few fans . Something is always better than nothing .
|
| roeish3 | 15/05/2020 21:49:14 GMT |
| The affect on English football it's already disastrous. The premier league and it's teams will probably get through it, amid significant salary cuts for all involved. But the EFL and it's teams are going o have such big challenges that I can't see how exactly they could go back to normal at any state in the near future
|
| dule-vu | 16/05/2020 13:55:33 GMT |
| leagues and clubs will still earn money,no matter that they will play games without spectators,thats why they want to play games till end of season!ofcourse they will not get money from tickets,but still tv station will pay them for games,but if they close season,they will lose lot of millions!
|
| CALICUL | 16/05/2020 21:22:42 GMT |
| Postponement of this Olympic tournament and Paralympic was taken because everything was canceled in most places in the world. This was supposed to happen and now there is no turning back. Wait until next year and you will enjoy of this sports competition.
|
 Write a comment:
You must be logged in, to comment on news...
|
