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IOC chief rebuts growing calls for 2020 Olympic postponement
TOKYO (Kyodo) – International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach on Saturday rebutted growing calls from athletes and officials around the globe for postponing this summer's Tokyo Olympics due to the coronavirus outbreak, saying it will not be easy to take such a major action.
"You can't postpone the Olympic Games like a football match next Saturday," Bach was quoted by German news agency dpa as telling SWR radio, as national Olympic committees and major federations from the United States have begun requesting the IOC postpone the Tokyo Games, perhaps for a year. Bach has been insisting that the IOC's focus was solely on holding a "safe" Olympics on schedule. But now, he has begun defending his position. Dpa reported Bach as saying any decision requires reliable and clear information.
Earlier Saturday, the Brazil Olympic Committee called for the Tokyo Games to be postponed for a year, citing "the notorious worsening of the COVID-19 pandemic" and "the consequent difficulty for athletes to maintain their best competitive level." Similarly, the Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee said Friday it has asked the IOC not to hold the games until the pneumonia-causing virus is under control, especially when a total of about 234,000 people have been infected worldwide.
USA Swimming and USA Track and Field, the U.S. swimming and athletics federations have both added their voices to the growing calls for postponement. In a letter sent to U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee CEO Sarah Hirshland, USA Swimming CEO Tim Hinchey said, "Everyone has experienced unimaginable disruptions, mere months before the Olympic Games, which calls into question the authenticity of a level playing field for all," according to the Associated Press reported.
https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20200322/p2g/00m/0sp/006000c
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