The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has urged athletes around the world to keep preparing for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games despite the coronavirus outbreak.
Japan’s capital city hosts the summer Olympics from 24 July to 9 August and the Paralympics from 25 August to 6 September.
Many major sporting events are under threat due to the spread of the virus and media reports have claimed that the games in Tokyo could be postponed or cancelled.
But in a statement issued on 3 March, the IOC said: “The IOC executive board [EB] today expressed its full commitment to the success of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.
“The IOC EB heard a report on all the measures taken so far to address the coronavirus situation, which was followed by a comprehensive discussion.
“A joint task force had already been created in mid-February, involving the IOC, Tokyo 2020, the host city of Tokyo, the government of Japan and the World Health Organization [WHO].
“The IOC EB appreciates and supports the measures being taken, which constitute an important part of Tokyo’s plans to host safe and secure Games. The IOC will continue to follow the advice of WHO, as the leading United Nations agency on this topic.”
IOC president Thomas Bach added: “The IOC remains fully committed to the success of the Olympic Games #Tokyo2020. I encourage all athletes to prepare for the Games with ‘full steam’.”
Image credit: IOC
President Bach: "The IOC remains fully committed to the success of the Olympic Games #Tokyo2020. I encourage all athletes to prepare for the Games with 'full steam'. " @Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/E5pTmz2yhz
— IOC MEDIA (@iocmedia) March 3, 2020
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