- Title: USA Track and Field calls for Olympics postponement
- Date: 21st March 2020
- Summary: 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 FIREWORKS DISPLAY ENDING TOKYO, JAPAN (FILE - DECEMBER 15, 2019) (REUTERS) OLYMPIC RINGS OUTSIDE NATIONAL STADIUM
- Embargoed: 4th April 2020 17:26
- Keywords: Coronavirus Olympics United States of America Track and Field
- Location: INTERNET / LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND / TOKYO, JAPAN / LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES
- City: INTERNET / LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND / TOKYO, JAPAN / LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES
- Country: USA
- Topics: Olympics,Sport
- Reuters ID: LVA002C5ZW5RZ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: USA Track and Field (USATF), the governing body of American athletics, on Saturday (March 21) called for a postponement of the Tokyo Olympics.
The federation, in a letter to United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) chief executive Sarah Hirshland, asked the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to postpone the Games which are scheduled to run from July 24-August 9.
"We certainly understand the ramifications of this request, and the realities of trying to coordinate the logistics of a postponed Olympic Games around the schedules of other athletes, sport federations, key stakeholders etc, but the alternative of moving forward in light of the current global situation would not be in the best interest of our athletes (as difficult as that decision might be)," USATF chief executive Max Siegel said in the letter.
The U.S. track and field federation joined another leading U.S. Olympic sport, USA Swimming, in seeking a delay to the Games.
Neither U.S. Olympic officials nor the IOC were immediately available for comment on USATF's request.
The U.S. committee said on Friday (March 20) that athletes should continue their preparations amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Meanwhile, the IOC has pressed on during the health crisis, saying the Games will go ahead as scheduled.
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