Washington [US], Mar 24 : International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Dick Pound has indicated that the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will be postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
"I see no other rational interpretation of the statements made by the IOC yesterday. If there was to be a cancellation, that would have been easy to announce; if carrying on with the original plan, there was no need for a communication. That leaves postponement," CNN quoted Pound as saying.
The coronavirus has taken a huge toll on sports events all across the globe and there has been an ongoing debate whether or not the upcoming quadrennial event should go ahead as planned.
Also, the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) and Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC) on Monday announced they will not send their teams to the Olympic and Paralympic Games in the summer of 2020 due to the pandemic.
The Tokyo Olympic Games are slated to be held from July 24 to August 9, while the Paralympic Games are scheduled to be held from August 25 to September 6.
Earlier, IOC said they will make a decision in four weeks time period as the countries around the world are reeling with the coronavirus pandemic. However, the body emphasised that 'cancellation is not on the agenda'.
"The IOC will, in full coordination and partnership with the Tokyo 2020 Orgsing Committee, the Japanese authorities and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, start detailed discussions to complete its assessment of the rapid development of the worldwide health situation and its impact on the Olympic Games, including the scenario of postponement," IOC said in a statement.
"The IOC is confident that it will have finalised these discussions within the next four weeks, and greatly appreciates the solidarity and partnership of the NOCs and IFs in supporting the athletes and adapting Games planning. The IOC EB emphasised that a cancellation of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 would not solve any of the problems or help anybody. Therefore, cancellation is not on the agenda," the statement added.
( With inputs from ANI )