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Coronavirus in sport: No deadline to call off Tokyo Olympics, says IOC

Tokyo 2020 Games Co-ordination Commission Chairman Coates was speaking before his return from Switzerland to Australia, where he is facing a mandatory two-week quarantine.

John Coates

Bengaluru, March 17: John Coates, who is the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) point man for the Tokyo 2020 Games has insisted there is no deadline to call off the event and that it was still going ahead as planned despite the coronavirus scare.

Tokyo 2020 Games Co-ordination Commission Chairman Coates was speaking before his return from Switzerland to Australia, where he is facing a mandatory two-week quarantine.

The Lausanne-based IOC is set for emergency talks on Tuesday (March 17) as doubts grow over whether it remains feasible to hold the Games during the coronavirus emergency, with world sport largely grinding to a halt.

Coronavirus in sport: IOC to hold talks with sport chiefsCoronavirus in sport: IOC to hold talks with sport chiefs

Senior IOC member Dick Pound suggested last month that a final call would be made by late May. But Coates, who is also president of the Australian Olympic committee, disputed the timeline.

"The IOC didn't recognise any dates that Dick came up with and I think Dick backed off that as well," Coates was quoted as saying in Sydney Morning Herald.

"It's all proceeding to start on the July 24. It's never been the IOC's position. It was Dick's idea. There's four months to go," Coates added.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and IOC President Thomas Bach have repeatedly insisted preparations should continue as scheduled even as the coronavirus scare intensifies.

IOC will follow WHO advice on Tokyo 2020 cancellation: BachIOC will follow WHO advice on Tokyo 2020 cancellation: Bach

The IOC's executive board is due to meet via conference call to prepare an "information exchange" ahead of a series of talks with athletes' representatives, National Olympic Committees and International Federations. The issue of qualifying is expected to be a particular focus of the telephone meeting, after a long list of events were called off.

"The difficulty for those who've qualified or will qualify is they won't get any more international competition," admitted Coates, who said it will also be difficult to get athletes into Japan without further spreading coronavirus.

(With inputs from Agencies)

Story first published: Tuesday, March 17, 2020, 11:57 [IST]
Other articles published on Mar 17, 2020