USATF Asks For Postponement Of 2020 Olympic Games
USATF Asks For Postponement Of 2020 Olympic Games
USA Track and Field CEO Max Siegel has written a letter in favor of postponing the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
USA Track and Field is asking the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee to advocate for a postponement of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In a letter released on USATF’s Twitter page on Saturday, USATF CEO Max Siegel asks the USOPC to call on the International Olympic Committee to postpone the Olympics because “the alternative of moving forward in light of the current global situation would not be in the interest of our athletes,” Siegel writes.
— USATF (@usatf) March 21, 2020
“The right and responsible thing to do is to prioritize everyone’s health and safety, and appropriately recognize the toll this difficult situation has, and continues to take, on our athletes and their Olympic Games preparations.”
In an interview with the New York Times on Friday, IOC president Thomas Bach said “It is too early to take a decision,” on whether to postpone this summer’s games, set to begin July 24. Meanwhile, many athletes have called on the IOC to postpone the event as the world grapples with the crisis.