Published 08:25 IST, March 22nd 2020
US President Trump reveals what he said to Japan PM Abe on Tokyo Olympics 2020 amid COVID
US President Donald Trump on Saturday said that the decision to hold the 2020 Tokyo Olympics rests on the Japanese government as concerns rise over coronavirus
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US President Donald Trump on Saturday said that the decision to hold the 2020 Tokyo Olympics rests on the Japanese government. The international sports event is now overshadowed by the coronavirus pandemic, which has claimed nearly 13,000 lives worldwide and hit at least 180 countries.
"They (Japan) have built one of the most beautiful venues I have ever seen. They are all ready to go. It's not late, not over budget, it was just done flawlessly and it is beautiful and they're sitting back and saying, you know, I told him, I said, that's your decision and it is his decision," President Trump told reporters in a press conference.
Calls for postponement
The leader's comment came hours after the US Track and Field (USATF) had called for the postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as COVID-19 continues to rage. In a letter posted on the USATF's official Twitter handle on Saturday, CEO Max Siegel has urged the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) to call on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to postpone the summer Olympic.
"Our goal remains to achieve athletic excellence during the Olympic Games, but not at the expense of the safety and well-being of our athletes. 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)," Siegel said.
— USATF (@usatf) March 21, 2020
No need for any drastic decisions
Earlier this week, IOC dismissed the needs for any drastic decisions on postponing the event at this stage. Tokyo also has maintained that so far, the games are proceeding as scheduled. The Tokyo Olympic Games are slated to be held from July 24 to August 9.
"The IOC remains fully committed to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, and 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," IOC had said in a statement.
(With ANI inputs) (AP Photo)
08:25 IST, March 22nd 2020