Skip to main content
Global Edition
Thursday, March 28, 2024

Australian Olympic Committee welcomes Toyko postponement

Duration: 01:54s 0 shares 1 views

Australian Olympic Committee welcomes Toyko postponement
Australian Olympic Committee welcomes Toyko postponement

Australian Olympic Committee CEO Matt Carroll welcomes the decision to postpone the 2020 Olympics and says that any Australian athletes that had qualified for the Games will be guaranteed a place when they are rescheduled in 2021.

SHOWS: SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA (MARCH 25, 2020) (NETWORK TEN - Broadcasters: NO USE AUSTRALIA Digital: NO USE AUSTRALIA / .COM.AU INTERNET SITES / ANY INTERNET SITE OF ANY AUSTRALIAN BASED MEDIA ORGANISATIONS OR MOBILE PLATFORMS / AUSTRALIAN NVO CLIENTS / SMH.COM.AU / NEWS.COM.AU) 1.

AUSTRALIAN OLYMPIC COMMITTEE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER MATT CARROLL ENTERING NEWS CONFERENCE 2.

WHITE FLASH 3.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) AUSTRALIAN OLYMPIC COMMITTEE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER MATT CARROLL, SAYING: "The Australia Olympic committee welcomes the decision by the International Olympic Committee, the Japanese government, the Tokyo Olympic Games organising committee to postpone the Tokyo Olympic Games until next year.

It's a challenging moment in history.

Tragic times globally, but athletes and sports now have absolute clarity that enables them to focus on a games in 2021.

The AOC recognises that the games organisers have an enormous task ahead of them but have no doubt that Japan will put on the greatest Olympic Games ever and provide an opportunity for the world to reconnect in a spirit of unity and hope." 4.

WHITE FLASH 5.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) AUSTRALIAN OLYMPIC COMMITTEE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER MATT CARROLL, SAYING: "In the months ahead, we'll work towards, through the implications of postponement, with our members' sports, their athletes and our partners so we can deliver the Australian Olympic team to Tokyo next year who will make Australians proud.

We'll continue to communicate with athletes and sports to provide further clarity around the critical issues such as those athletes and teams who have qualified and will not be required to requalify." 6.

WHITE FLASH 7.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) AUSTRALIAN OLYMPIC COMMITTEE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER MATT CARROLL, SAYING: "It's a huge logistical challenge for Japan but of any country that I know of can meet challenge is certainly the Japanese.

There is an issue around villages, venues, the broadcasting and things of that nature.

For the IOC it's working for the International Federations because it is an entire shift in the planning for global events such as World Championships, World Cups, all those sorts of things will have to be thought through so.

But I know there is a spirit out there in the sporting world to make that happen so it will happen." 8.

WHITE FLASH 9.

CARROLL LEAVING NEWS CONFERENCE STORY: The Australian Olympic Committee said on Wednesday (March 25) that it welcomed the Tokyo Games being postponed to 2021 due to the coronavirus crisis, the first such delay in the 124-year modern history of the Olympics.

Pressure had been building on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and its president, Thomas Bach, with some athletes and sporting bodies angry that a seemingly inevitable decision had taken so long.

After a call between Bach and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, both said the July 24-Aug.

9 Games would move to the summer of 2021 at the latest in a hoped-for celebration of triumph over the pandemic.

Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) CEO Matt Carroll said that athletes who have already qualified for the Tokyo Games were assured of their spots when the global sporting showpiece takes place in 2021.

Though it was the first Olympics postponement, the Games were cancelled outright three times during the last century's two world wars.

Cold War boycotts also disrupted the Moscow and Los Angeles Olympics in 1980 and 1984.

(Production: James Redmayne)

You might like

Related news coverage

Advertisement