The 2020 Tokyo Olympics likely to be postponed until at least 2021
The 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo will be postponed due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, with a likely new date to be set in 2021.
The news was confirmed by International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Dick Pound, speaking to USA Today.
Tokyo 2020 will no longer go ahead, according to reports. The event will be postponed until at least 2021
The IOC is still sticking to its four-week announcement schedule with new details to come in stages.
Seven is not currently commenting specifically on the cancellation, but did reference the Games in its statement on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) regarding its withdrawal of its FY20 earnings guidance.
“While the IOC’s current position is that Tokyo 2020 is scheduled to proceed, the IOC has stated they are exploring a postponement scenario and the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) and other national bodies have been more definite about a date change,” read the statement.
The statement is a change of heart from Seven. In February, the broadcaster was bullishly determined the event would go ahead, refusing to admit a plan B would be needed.
“We take information from the World Health Organisation (WHO), the IOC and the AOC, and they’ve come out with a very strong position, which is there is no need to delay or cancel the Olympics in any way. So that’s the way that we’re preparing, from that perspective,” CEO James Warburton told Mumbrella in February.
“There’s absolutely no thought around that at this particular point in time.”
Losing the Olympics will be a tough blow for Seven, with the broadcaster already losing the AFL due to a suspended season.
Another announcement is expected from the IOC regarding new dates for the Games in the coming weeks.
The Australian Olympic Team had already been instructed it could not attend the 2020 Games, scheduled for 24 July, due to travel bans and safety restrictions.
