- Title: Olympic Games needs to be postponed until 2021 - Former IOC marketing director
- Date: 23rd March 2020
- Summary: TOKYO, JAPAN (FILE - JULY 24, 2019) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF TOKYO 2020 OLYMPICS MEDALS TOKYO, JAPAN (FILE - APRIL 28, 2018) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF TOKYO 2020 OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC MASCOTS, MIRAITOWA AND SOMEITY, BEING UNVEILED TOKYO, JAPAN (FILE - JANUARY 24, 2020) (REUTERS) OLYMPIC RINGS MONUMENT LIGHTING UP IN FRONT OF RAINBOW BRIDGE TO MARK SIX MONTHS TO GO UNTIL TOKYO 2020 GAMES OLYMPIC RINGS AS FIREWORKS STARTING VARIOUS OF FIREWORKS DISPLAY ABOVE OLYMPIC RINGS MONUMENT AND RAINBOW BRIDGE
- Embargoed: 6th April 2020 12:19
- Keywords: International Olympic Committee Japan Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games coronavirus covid-19
- Location: VARIOUS
- City: VARIOUS
- Country: Various
- Topics: Olympics,Sport
- Reuters ID: LVA002C69VZ2F
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: The former marketing director of the International Olympic Committee Michael Payne called on Monday (March 23) for the 2020 Tokyo Games to be postponed for a year because of the global threat of coronavirus.
Speaking to Reuters, Payne, who was the IOC's director of marketing from 1988 to 2004, said that with the global health threat posed by the virus meaning that many athletes would be unable to attend the Games this July, it is likely that this would persuade Japan and the IOC to agree to a postponement, although Payne admitted there would be massive logistical problems in moving the Games.
He added that if the world could come together for an Olympics in Tokyo at a future date, hopefully in 2021, it would have the potential to be "the greatest Olympics ever".
(Production: Tim Hart) - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2020. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: Olympic restriction: Clip cannot be re-published without additional clearances from the IOC.
