As the world struggles to fight the coronavirus outbreak, any decision concerning the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo should have the lives and health of its participants and guests at heart, the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) said on Monday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd March, 2020) As the world struggles to fight the coronavirus outbreak, any decision concerning the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo should have the lives and health of its participants and guests at heart, the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) said on Monday.
On Sunday, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said that the final decision on a possible postponement of the 2020 Olympics would be made in four weeks. Following the announcement, Canada's Olympic Committee and Paralympic Committee, as well as the Australian Olympic Committee, stated that they would not attend the Games in the summer and called for a one-year delay. The Tokyo Olympics' organizers said that multiple options would be studied, but ruled out canceling the Games.
"Our position is based on the necessity to ensure guaranteed safety for life and health of the Games' participants and guests as well as equal opportunities for all the athletes at qualification events and in respect of criteria for the assessment of the qualification standards," the ROC said.
The committee expressed confidence that the IOC and the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee would make "informed decisions motivated by the logic of the unfolding events and based on the comprehensive analysis of potential development scenarios."
The ROC stressed that the Games should be held in an atmosphere of a celebration for everyone, while "any restrictions and threats, including of epidemiologic nature, represent a serious blow to the spirit and essence of" such an event.
It at the same time warned against any attempts to pressure the organizers into making "rash" decisions.
"Panic is the worst what can happen in the current situation. The ROC urges all the representatives of the sports community to keep Olympic calm, to act systematically and constructively while preparing for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, to make every effort to come out a consensus on issues that are of concern to all of us in the contest of the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympics," it concluded.
The Games are scheduled to run from July 24-August 9.
