IOC Considers Postponing 2020 Olympics
Since the NBA suspended its season indefinitely on March 11, nearly every pro sports league across the world has followed suit. Seasons, tournaments, and other forms of competition have been postponed or cancelled altogether in the last two weeks, and on Sunday the International Olympic Committee announced that it would consider postponing the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo to keep athletes safe from the rapid spread of the novel coronavirus.
Thomas Bach, the president of the International Olympic Committee, said in a letter to the athletes on Sunday that cancellation was "not an option," according to the Washington Post, and that the committee would come to a final decision regarding postponement within the next four weeks. Japanese officials agreed with Bach, and said on Monday that they would begin preparing to push back the games.
In order to keep athletes safe and healthy, Canada and Australia have already said they will not send athletes to the Olympics this year, and their respective Olympic committees have urged other authorities to postpone the games. The Olympics are still currently scheduled to begin on July 24, but given how rapidly COVID-19 continues to spread across the world and the recent suspension of other sporting leagues, keeping that start date seems increasingly unlikely.
"While we recognize the inherent complexities around a postponement, nothing is more important than the health and safety of our athletes and the world community," the Canadian Olympic Committee said in a statement. "This is not solely about athlete health -- it is about public health."
The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, and World Athletics have also expressed their desire for the games to be postponed, according to the Washington Post. With thousands of athletes, media, fans, and officials in attendance for the Olympics, holding the games as scheduled would go against virtually every safety recommendation from public health officials if the virus continues to spread and infect at its current rate.
Also on Monday morning, FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis said in a letter to national basketball federations that "the desire to play basketball, whether for professional or amateur purposes, must now give way to the need for protection of public health." FIBA is still determining the futures of the European and American Champions Leagues, and Basketball Africa League.
The NBA has now been suspended for 12 days, during which time the league has been mulling different paths toward continuing the season safely. Adrian Wojnarowski reported last week that a best-case scenario could see the league return in late June, but if the IOC postpones the Olympics, it would seem nearly impossible that other leagues could safely resume play before then.
