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NEW DELHI: Ace boxer Mary Kom as well as several sportspeople welcomed the decision of IOC and the Japanese government to postpone 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Mary Kom tweeted:
https://twitter.com/MangteC/status/1242467579546832897
“World Athletics welcomes the decision of the IOC and the Japanese Government to postpone the 2020 Tokyo Olympics Games to 2021. It is what athletes want and we believe this decision will give all athletes, technical officials and volunteers some respite and certainty in these unprecedented and uncertain times,” it said.
“Athletics will continue to do whatever it can to preserve and create an outdoor season of one-day meetings in 2020, starting and ending later than usual, so athletes, when they are able and it is safe to, will have access to competitions in every region. This will help them benchmark their performances and adjust their training accordingly for an Olympic Games in 2021. In light of this announcement, we will also expedite our current review of the Olympic qualification system, in cooperation with the IOC, and release any changes to the process as soon as possible so athletes know where they stand,” the association added in a statement.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced nationwide three weeks lockdown starting from Tuesday midnight. All States and Union Territories will come under its purview.
Stating that “the next 21 days will be very crucial for India”, the Prime Minister added in a live telecast on Tuesday night, “We are taking all steps to ensure continuous supply of essential commodities. In view of the current situation, the nationwide complete lockdown will be in place for 21 days — three weeks. Today India is at the stage where our actions today will decide that to what extent we can bring down the impact of this disaster. This is the time to strengthen our resolve again and again.