Skip to main content
Global Edition
Thursday, March 28, 2024

Spring Olympics in 2021 a real possibility

Duration: 01:40s 0 shares 1 views

Spring Olympics in 2021 a real possibility
Spring Olympics in 2021 a real possibility

International Olympic Commitee President Thomas Bach has said the decision to postpone the Olympics was "very hard to take" and hasn't ruled out the new dates for the Tokyo games being in the spring of 2021.

Adam Reed reports.

The possibility of a rescheduled Tokyo Olympic Games taking place in spring of 2021 is just one of the options being considered by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) its President said Wednesday (March 25) Thomas Bach spoke from the IOC headquarters in Switzerland and said moving the games will require sacrifices and compromises by all involved, but still remained positive about what could be achieved.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) IOC PRESIDENT THOMAS BACH, TALKING ABOUT THE POSTPONEMENT, SAYING: "It was very hard to take because first of all, we had to consider the dreams of the Olympic athletes which we wanted to make coming true." Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe revealed the news on Tuesday (March 24) that an agreement had been reached to put back the games because of the current coronavirus pandemic and back confirmed the new dates will ensure the Olympics will be completed by the summer of 2021.

He went on to add he as-yet-undecided dates would not necessarily be restricted to summer months.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) IOC PRESIDENT THOMAS BACH, TALKING ABOUT THE POSTPONEMENT, SAYING: "There is no blueprint.

It's the first time in Olympic history that we have to address such a postponement, so give us a little bit of time, please." The Olympics is now the biggest sporting casualty to be canceled this year in what is a huge blow to Japan, which has invested $12 billion dollars in preparations.

Bach himself has come under fire for not reacting sooner in the face of the global health crisis.

An IOC coordination commission, that has been overseeing preparations, will now work towards determining a new date, as Bach looks to piece this complicated puzzle back together.

You might like