FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Health And Safety Paramount As IOC Executive Board Agrees
To Step Up Scenario-Planning For The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020
TO SAFEGUARD THE HEALTH OF ALL INVOLVED AND TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE
CONTAINMENT OF COVID-19, THE EXECUTIVE BOARD (EB) OF THE INTERNATIONAL
OLYMPIC COMMITTEE (IOC) TODAY ANNOUNCED THAT THE IOC WILL STEP UP ITS
SCENARIO-PLANNING FOR THE OLYMPIC GAMES TOKYO 2020.
These scenarios relate to modifying existing operational plans for the
Games to go ahead on 24 July 2020, and also for changes to the start date
of the Games. This step will allow better visibility of the rapidly
changing development of the health situation around the world and in Japan.
It will serve as the basis for the best decision in the interest of the
athletes and everyone else involved.
On the one hand, there are significant improvements in Japan where the
people are warmly welcoming the Olympic flame. This could strengthen the
IOC's confidence in the Japanese hosts that the IOC could, with certain
safety restrictions, organise Olympic Games in the country whilst
respecting its principle of safeguarding the health of everyone involved.
On the other hand, there is a dramatic increase in cases and new outbreaks
of COVID-19 in different countries on different continents. This led the EB
to the conclusion that the IOC needs to take the next step in its
scenario-planning.
A number of critical venues needed for the Games could potentially not be
available anymore. The situations with millions of nights already booked in
hotels is extremely difficult to handle, and the international sports
calendar for at least 33 Olympic sports would have to be adapted. These are
just a few of many, many more challenges.
Therefore, further to the study of different scenarios, it would need the
full commitment and cooperation of the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee and
the Japanese authorities, and of all the International Federations (IFs)
and National Olympic Committees (NOCs). It would also require commitment
from, and collaboration with, the Rights-Holding Broadcasters (RHBs) and
our TOP Partner sponsors, as part of their continued and valued support to
the Olympic Movement, as well as cooperation from all the Games' partners,
suppliers and contractors. It is in this spirit of the Olympic
stakeholders' shared commitment to the Olympic Games, and in light of the
worldwide deteriorating situation, that the IOC EB has today initiated the
next step in the IOC's scenario-planning.
The IOC will, in full coordination and partnership with the Tokyo 2020
Organising 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. 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.
After the EB meeting, IOC President Thomas Bach today wrote to the global
athlete community to provide them with an explanation of the IOC's
approach.
In the letter, Bach stated once more that safeguarding the health of
everyone involved and contributing to contain the virus is the fundamental
principle, and said: “Human lives take precedence over everything,
including the staging of the Games. The IOC wants to be part of the
solution. Therefore we have made it our leading principle to safeguard the
health of everyone involved, and to contribute to containing the virus. I
wish, and we all are working for this, that the hope so many athletes, NOCs
and IFs from all five continents have expressed will be fulfilled: that at
the end of this dark tunnel we are all going through together, not knowing
how long it is, the Olympic flame will be a light at the end of this
tunnel."
The International Olympic Committee is a not-for-profit independent
international organisation made up of volunteers, which is committed to
building a better world through sport. It redistributes more than 90 per
cent of its income to the wider sporting movement, which means that every
day the equivalent of 3.4 million US dollars goes to help athletes and
sports organisations at all levels around the world.
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