Don’t expect to see the Olympics happening in July.

With countries threatening a boycott the event if the 2020 Tokyo Olympics go ahead in July, the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) has told our athletes to prepare for the games to be pushed back by 12 months due to the coronavirus. This comes following an IOC statement yesterday that indicated postponement was on the cards after previously being written off as an option.

“The AOC believes our athletes now need to prioritise their own health and of those around them, and to be able to return to the families, in discussion with their National Federations,” an AOC statement said. “The AOC held an Executive Board meeting via teleconference this morning (Monday) and unanimously agreed that an Australian Team could not be assembled in the changing circumstances at home and abroad.”

AOC Chief Executive Matt Carroll added, “We have athletes based overseas, training at central locations around Australia as teams and managing their own programs. With travel and other restrictions this becomes an untenable situation.” Stay tuned for more info as the situation continues to evolve.