IOC Executive Board statement on coronavirus and the 2020 Olympics

Update: This article was updated on March 4 with comments from Thomas Bach regarding potential quota allocations due to qualification events being impacted by coronavirus. This article was originally published on March 3.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is doing its best to quell panic and speculation over the Tokyo Olympics being cancelled due to coronavirus.

On Tuesday, the Executive Board (EB) echoed president Thomas Bach’s statement from last week, where he said the organization is “fully committed” to making sure the Tokyo Games happen.

In the statement, which was published to olympic.org, the EB again expressed its full commitment to the success of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, taking place from July 24 to August 9, 2020.

According to BBC Sport, the IOC president added the body would “not add fuel to the flame of speculation” regarding various scenarios, but “quota allocations” could be implemented in some disciplines if athletes are prevented from competing in qualifying events because of coronavirus.

Gymnastics athletes have already seen their road to Tokyo impacted by the virus.

Chinese athletes were not allowed to attend the Melbourne World Cup in late February, and the Russian athletes assigned to both the American Cup and Tokyo World Cup have withdrawn from those competitions (this was a choice on the Russian federation’s part).

All of the mentioned meets have Olympic qualification implications.

Full IOC Executive Board statement on Tokyo Games

“The IOC EB heard a report on all the measures taken so far to address the coronavirus situation, which was followed by a comprehensive discussion. 

A joint task force had already been created in mid-February, involving the IOC, Tokyo 2020, the host city of Tokyo, the government of Japan and the World Health Organization (WHO). The IOC EB appreciates and supports the measures being taken, which constitute an important part of Tokyo’s plans to host safe and secure Games. 

The IOC will continue to follow the advice of WHO, as the leading United Nations agency on this topic. The EB expressed its thanks to WHO for its continued valuable advice and cooperation. 

It also praised the great unity and solidarity of the athletes, National Olympic Committees, International Federations and governments. It welcomed their close collaboration and flexibility with regard to the preparations for the Games, and particularly the qualification events. All stakeholders continue to work closely together to address the challenges of the coronavirus.

The IOC EB encourages all athletes to continue to prepare for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. The IOC will keep supporting the athletes by providing the latest information and developments, which are accessible for athletes worldwide on the Athlete365 website.”