(ATR) IOC president Thomas Bach announces a new task force has been established to determine and execute the rescheduling of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
"We’ve asked our coordination commission to form a task force – called "Here We Go" – to study this question," Bach said during a teleconference with journalists on Wednesday. "This needs consultation with 33 international federations and there’s a conference call tomorrow.
"There are many issues to consider. We should come to a solution as soon as possible, but the first priority is to make a quality decision, taking into account all our stakeholders."
The IOC president admitted the task is a daunting one.
"This is a huge jigsaw puzzle and every piece has to fit," Bach said. "If you take out one piece, the whole puzzle is destroyed. Everything is important and I do not envy this work.
"Our task force has many thousands of questions to address. This is an unprecedented challenge and this postponed Games will need sacrifices and compromises by all stakeholders.
"We have no blueprint for this, but we are confident we can put this beautiful jigsaw puzzle back together and we’ll have wonderful Olympic Games.
Bach and Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe announced Tuesday that the Tokyo 2020 Games would be moved to a date no later than summer of 2021. The decision came following an outpouring of concern and backlash from athletes over the IOC’s insistence that the Games could open on July 24, despite the coronavirus pandemic.
"This was a joint decision of the IOC and Tokyo 2020," Bach said. "We needed to be united.
"Tokyo is the best prepared Olympic city ever and I’m confident."
Bach addressed the possibility of a spring-time Olympics in the Japanese capital. The Summer Games have not been held in the Northern Hemisphere spring since Paris 1924.
"The agreement is we want to organize this Olympics at the latest of the summer 2021, that means our task force will consider the broader picture," he said. "It is not restricted just to the summer months. All options are on the table."
Staging the Games in July and August of 2021 would conflict with the World Swimming Championships in Fukuoka, Japan (July 16-August 1) and the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, USA (August 6-15). However, sport federations have expressed their flexibility with the IOC.
Bach seemed to imply that Tokyo organizers were fighting the idea of moving the Games, but were swayed gently by the IOC. The intervention of the World Health Organization over the weekend seemed to be the decisive factor.
In polls and surveys conducted over previous days, athletes voted overwhelmingly in favor of postponing the Games. Bach said athletes will have valuable input in pending IOC decisions.
"The athletes’ voice is very important and they play a very important role," he said. "They will take part in any consultation and decision. I’ve already addressed a letter to the athletes and there’s been calls to athletes around the world."
Bach also said cancellation of the Games was not an option.
"Cancellation was discussed and considered like all options on the table, but it was very clear that this should not be something that the IOC would in any way favor.
"The significance of this Olympic Games is very important. These 2020 Games, celebrated in 2021, can be a celebration of humankind after having overcome this unprecedented challenge."
The IOC president also addressed the situation with current sponsorships that expire at the end of 2020.
"We’ve contacted our sponsors and we have the full support for this decision and we will work with them to implement it. These are the 2020 Games therefore sponsors will keep their rights," he said, referring to the decision to continue to call them the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, despite the postponement to 2021.
Bach stressed that all stakeholders need to be flexible and cooperative sustaining financial burdens, noting the Japanese prime minister’s full support.
"There will be additional costs for everyone involved and this is why I’m very pleased and happy that prime minister Abe gave the commitment of the government to everything on their side to help and we’ll do the same," Bach said.
Written by Brian Pinelli
For general comments or questions,click here.
Your best source of news about the Olympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribers only.
Últimas Noticias
Utah’s Olympic venues an integral part of the equation as Salt Lake City seeks a Winter Games encore
Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation chief of sport development Luke Bodensteiner says there is a “real urgency to make this happen in 2030”. He discusses the mission of the non-profit organization, the legacy from the 2002 Winter Games and future ambitions.
IOC president tells Olympic Movement “we will again have safe and secure Olympic Games” in Beijing
Thomas Bach, in an open letter on Friday, also thanked stakeholders for their “unprecedented” efforts to make Tokyo 2020 a success despite the pandemic.
Boxing’s place in the Olympics remains in peril as IOC still unhappy with the state of AIBA’s reform efforts
The IOC says issues concerning governance, finance, and refereeing and judging must be sorted out to its satisfaction. AIBA says it’s confident that will happen and the federation will be reinstated.
IOC president details Olympic community efforts to get Afghans out of danger after Taliban return to power
Thomas Bach says the Afghanistan NOC remains under IOC recognition, noting that the current leadership was democratically elected in 2019. But he says the IOC will be monitoring what happens in the future. The story had been revealed on August 31 in an article by Miguel Hernandez in Around the Rings
North Korea suspended by IOC for failing to participate in Tokyo though its athletes could still take part in Beijing 2022
Playbooks for Beijing 2022 will ”most likely” be released in October, according to IOC President Thomas Bach.
