The International Olympic Committee is expected to officially announce that the Olympic Games that were due to take place this year will be postponed until next year. Earlier this week, it was revealed that the authority figures for athletics in Australia and Canada had both decided that they were not going to send their athletes to Japan for the Olympics this summer.
That decision has put pressure on the IOC to finally pull the plug on their plans to stage the event this year. Should the decision be delayed further, then governing bodies within the United Kingdom and the USA may also take the same stance. The decision will come a month after the NBA cancelled the remainder of their season.
However, it is looking more and more unlikely that the event will take place this year, with the IOC likely to announce that the event will not be taking place this year by Monday next week.
Why Has There Been A Long Delay?
It has seemed a little strange that the IOC have been stalling on their decision for so long, with many experts foreseeing that this was the eventual end goal. The Olympics remain the biggest sporting event in the world, but it would seem that even the biggest event can’t stop itself from falling victim to the Coronavirus. The British Olympic Association will add their input into the calls for postponement on Tuesday, with the BOA expected to support the stance from both Canada and Australia.
The IOC member Dick Pound has already revealed to the US authorities that the Olympics will not be taking place this year, and the announcement is just a matter of days away. The delay is centred around the fact that the IOC needs to put parameters and details in place before making the official announcement. IOC are already expecting backlash for their decision as many governing bodies have already stated their frustration that this decision hasn’t been made sooner.
Governing Body Preparing For Backlash
Another reason for the delay in the decision is down to the legal responsibilities that could be faced with the IOC if they postpone the games. Some experts have already claimed that the IOC and organisers have been playing a game of chicken regarding the cancellation as neither want to take the blame. However, athletes have become irritated that no decision has been made, as their cycle of training centres around the global event that takes place every four years.
Some of the biggest athletes in track and field centre their careers around the Olympics, which means a cancellation this year could mean that they will miss out on taking part in one final games. However, other athletes have already prepared for the cancellation this year by taking that into account when training for the Olympics.
The cycle for some has already begun again, but it will be fascinating to see how this plays its part for the Olympic Games next year. The expected date for the 2021 Olympics will be very similar to this year’s dates, but there has been no word yet whether the following Olympics will take place in 2024 or 2025.
