- Admits finding new dates challenging
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) President, Thomas Bach has confirmed that a cherry blossom Games in the Spring of 2021 is under active consideration for the rescheduled Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Though admitting that finding new date in 2021 is ‘challenging’, Bach said an IOC taskforce called “Here We Go” would start talks with 33 international sports federations about setting new dates for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics on Thursday.
But he warned: “It’s a huge jigsaw puzzle and every piece has to fit. If one piece is taken out it can destroy it. The Games have never been postponed before. There is no blueprint.”
An IOC coordination commission that has been overseeing preparations will now work towards determining a date for next year amid a chaotic sports calendar, which has been severely disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The agreement is that we want to organise these Games at the latest in the summer 2021,” Bach said. “This is not restricted just to the summer months. All the options are on the table including the summer 2021.”
Hosting the Tokyo Games in the spring would have at least one major advantage – it would be far cooler than in the summer. But Dai Greene, the former world 400m hurdles champion, warned it would give athletes less chances to qualify, especially if coronavirus leads to the 2020 summer of sport being cancelled.
“When do we get the chance to compete and qualify for a spring Games?” Greene wrote on Twitter. “This summer will be sparse at best. Someone have a word.”
The chief executive of British Rowing, Andy Parkinson, said rowers would prefer a summer Games. “The IOC decision to postpone the Games was very welcome – although it was clear over a week that training was being compromised and that our rowers’ ability to achieve their own dreams was becoming less and less likely.” – The Guardian
