Coronavirus: IOC decision on Tokyo Olympics expected soon

The IOC appears to be bowing to the inevitability that the Tokyo Olympics cannot go ahead this year.

It appears inevitable that the coronavirus pandemic will force the IOC to announce that the Tokyo Olympics will not take place this year. Picture: AP

The fate of the Tokyo Olympics could be decided as early as Tuesday with organisers understood to be bowing to the inevitability that the biggest sports event in the world cannot go ahead this year because of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Publicly, the International Olympic Committee is still maintaining the Olympics will proceed as planned on July 24 but sources say officials now accept that won’t happen because of the unfolding crisis.

The focus — for both the IOC and Japanese organisers — has switched to quickly reaching an agreement on the best alternative solution, with postponement strongly favoured over cancellation.

The IOC’s executive board will be meeting by conference call on Tuesday night to decide whether to reschedule the Games for 2021 or 2022, rather than later this year, ahead of another critical meeting with Japanese organisers later this week.

Despite IOC president Thomas Bach saying there was no need to rush into a decision, it is understood international broadcasters and sponsors have been briefed to expect an announcement sooner rather than later.

This is a direct response to the growing complaints from sporting bodies around the world who have questioned how athletes can be expected to continue training while health authorities are warning them to go into isolation and governments are introducing strict lockdowns.

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Australia’s Olympic hopefuls have not been as badly impacted as athletes from other countries where the outbreak is already out of control but their preparations are facing increasing uncertainty as more facilities shut down.

Members of Australia’s track and field, triathlon, women’s water polo and artistic swimming teams were due to move to the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra this week to conduct training camps.

But that is now in doubt after Sunday’s lockdowns and travel restrictions in the ACT, with AIS officials scrambling to find out whether the camps can proceed.

“The situation with regard to COVID-19 and travel restrictions is rapidly evolving. The AIS will be consulting with government and other relevant bodies at federal and state/territory level to ascertain options for athletes coming in and out of the AIS campus in Canberra,” the AIS said in a statement.

The Australian Olympic Committee has advised athletes to keep training in expectation that the Games will go ahead but international federations have revealed that more and more competitors have been contacting their associations asking for the Games to be called off.

World Athletics boss Sebastian Coe let it slip to British media that a decision was imminent while US President Donald Trump revealed Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had told him news was forthcoming.

“I told Abe … ‘that’s your decision’,” Trump said. “I know he’s gonna make it soon.”

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH