The IOC also reiterated its view of going ahead with the Tokyo Olympics as scheduled and said that ‘there is no need for any drastic decisions at this stage’.
Kiren Rijiju. (Photo: Twitter/@RijijuOffice)
Union Ministry for Sport and Youth Affairs Kiren Rijiju on Thursday said that nobody should raise questions about the Tokyo Olympics given the scheduled start of the games is still a few months away.
“Nobody should raise any issue at this point of time about the Olympics because you do not know what is going to happen after three months. After three months, what will be the situation, nobody knows but we have to respond to the emerging situation as per the direction of the international bodies and respective sovereign government, Rijiju was quoted as saying to the reporters.
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Earlier, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach stressed that it’s too early to decide the fate of the Olympic Games amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
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According to report on IANS, Bach said that he understood that speculation over postponing or even cancelling Tokyo 2020 has interrupted the athletes’ preparation for the Games.
Meanwhile, the IOC on Tuesday had reiterated its view of going ahead with the Olympics as per the schedule and said that ‘there is no need for any drastic decisions at this stage’.
“The IOC remains fully committed to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, and with more than four months to go before the Games there is no need for any drastic decisions at this stage, and any speculation at this moment would be counter-productive,” IOC said in a statement.
Despite the deadly COVID-19, which has killed over 8,900 people and infecting more than 2,19,000 people, severely affecting the sporting calendars worldwide, the IOC encouraged the athletes to carry on with their training and preparation for the summer games.
“The IOC encourages all athletes to continue to prepare for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 as best they can. The IOC will continue to monitor the situation 24/7. Already in mid-February, a task force was set up consisting of the IOC, the World Health Organization (WHO), the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, the Japanese authorities and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government,” the statement read.
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