The International Olympic Committee announces it is considering a possible postponement of this year's Tokyo Games.
The IOC's announcement came shortly after Global Athlete — a worldwide group representing Olympic hopefuls — called on the organisation to postpone the Tokyo Olympics until the coronavirus pandemic was under control.
The show of solidarity among Olympic hopefuls added to the dozens of individual athletes who had come out against the IOC's stance to start the Games as scheduled on July 24. "It's bizarre the IOC hasn't shown any real leadership," said Caradh O'Donovan, a Global Athlete founder from Ireland whose karate training has been put on hold due to restrictions in her country.O'Donovan said the unevenness around the globe regarding training, doping control and qualifying standards were among her key concerns — thoughts echoed by a number of athletes on social media and in interviews with the media over the past few days.
"But under the current global restrictions that are limiting public gatherings as well as closing training facilities and borders, athletes do not have the ability to appropriately prepare for these Games, and their health and safety must come first," the statement said.
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