International Olympic Committee to athletes: Continue to prepare
MANILA, Philppines — The International Olympic Committee has told athletes to "continue to prepare" for Tokyo 2020 despite mounting pressure to postpone the Games due to the coronavirus.
In a statement Tuesday, the IOC said that they remain fully committed to holding the Summer Games in July as planned.
"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," the statement read.
"The IOC encourages all athletes to continue to prepare for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 as best as they can," they added.
Last week, a member of the Games' organizing committee told media that the Olympics may be pushed back to 2022 due to the virus threat.
Report: Tokyo Olympics may be pushed back to 2022 due to coronavirus https://t.co/bVpqTDaYaQ | @mluisamorales_ @PhilstarNews
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A number of big sporting events across the globe have already put their festivities on hold. The NBA and European football leagues have already reported players who tested positive for the virus.
Locally, Filipino athletes are struggling to compete in Olympic Qualifying Tournaments across the globe due to travel bans or outright cancellations due to the virus.
2016 Rio Olympics silver medalist Hidilyn Diaz's bid to return to the Summer Games this year was stalled after organizers of the Ibero American Open in Cali, Colombia announced that it would not accommodate participants from Europe and Asia.
Meanwhile, Karateka Junni Tsukii also hit a snag with the Premier League Madrid Championship being canceled.
There are four Filipinos who have qualified for the Tokyo games as of now. Boxers Eumir Marcial and Irish Magno qualified last week, joining gymnast Carlos Yulo and pole vaulter EJ Obiena.
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