International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Dick Pound says the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games will be postponed. Speaking with USA Today, Pound said the Games will likely take place in 2021 and details will be worked out in the coming weeks.
"On the basis of the information the IOC has, postponement has been decided," Pound told USA Today. "The parameters going forward have not been determined, but the Games are not going to start on July 24, that much I know."
Speculation about the Tokyo Olympics being cancelled in light of the ongoing Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic has been rampant, with Canada and Australia announcing they would not send athletes to the Tokyo Olympics unless the Games were moved to a different date.
The Olympics are currently scheduled or July 24 through August 9. Multiple athletes, including Tour de France champion Egan Bernal, have said the games should be cancelled.
On Sunday, the IOC said cancellation of the Games "is not on the agenda", but it also said said it would decide in four weeks if the coronavirus pandemic would force a postponement.
In his interview with USA Today, however, Pound said the committee has made that decision and the the announcement "will come in stages."
"We will postpone this and begin to deal with all the ramifications of moving this, which are immense,” Pound said.
Although the IOC has not made an official announcement, IOC spokesman Mark Adams did not refute Pound's claim when USA Today sought comment.
"It is the right of every IOC member to interpret the decision of the IOC executive board which was announced yesterday," Adams said.
The Sunday announcement from the IOC said the organisation would take the next four weeks to evaluate the viability of hosting the Games in Tokyo.
Other countries urging the IOC to cancel or postpone the Tokyo Olympics include Germany, Brazil and Norway, among a growing list.
