Sevens teams are continuing to wait on the International Olympic Committee as pressure grows to postpone the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
In the latest update, the IOC held an emergency meeting on Sunday as calls grew from athletes and national committees to postpone the Olympics due to the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
In the official announcement following the meeting, the IOC gave the first hint that it now considers delaying the Games.
‘In light of the worldwide deteriorating situation … the executive board has today initiated the next step in the IOC’s scenario planning,’ it said in a statement. ‘These scenarios relate to modifying existing operational plans for the Games to go ahead on 24 July 2020, and also for changes to the start date of the Games.’
On Monday, Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe admitted they may be forced to postpone the Games if they cannot be held in their complete form.
‘If that becomes difficult, we may have no option but to consider postponing the Games,’ Abe said, adding that cancelling was not an option.
Canada became the first nation to withdraw its teams and athletes from the Games as they look to protect them from the virus and increase pressure on the IOC.
The World Sevens Series itself has experienced disruption due to coronavirus, with the last four tournaments in Hong Kong, Singapore, London and Paris all postponed to a yet to be determined date.
Photo: NICOLAS ASFOURI/AFP via Getty Images
