Uncertainty over Olympics postponement

The 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games are set to be postponed due to the global Coronavirus crisis, according to International Olympic Committee (IOC) Vice-President Dick Pound.

With the IOC on Sunday announcing that, for the first time, it would decide on postponing the Games in the next month, Pound, speaking to USA Today, yesterday advised that "on the basis of the information the IOC has, postponement has been decided".

He added "the parameters going forward have not been determined, but the Games are not going to start on July 24, that much I know.”

Facing broad pressure from governments, sponsors, broadcasters, and sports federations, the IOC is currently understood to be working through the logistics of a cancellation.

Uncertainty also surrounds Australia's participation in a Games in July, with some reports saying that the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) has pulled out of the Tokyo Olympics.

However, advice on the AOC website merely says "Australian athletes should prepare for a Tokyo Olympic Games in the northern summer of 2021".

The AOC's statement continues "the AOC believes our athletes now need to prioritise their own health and of those around them, and to be able to return to the families, in discussion with their National Federations.”

Reports also say Canada has withdrawn from the Games.