THE International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Monday, March 30, announced that the new schedule of the 32nd Summer Olympics is reset from July 23 to August 8, 2021, still in Tokyo, Japan.
The new dates were agreed by the IOC, the International Paralympic Committee, the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the Japanese government.
The rescheduling of the quadrennial sports undertaking was due to the pandemic Covid-19 disease which has affected hundreds of thousands of populations across the globe and also killed thousands of various ages. The pandemic virus has also affected the preparation of many athletes
Moreover, among those considered in resetting the Olympics is to protect the health of the athletes and everyone involved, and to support the containment of the Covid-19 virus; safeguard the interests of the athletes and of Olympic sport, and the global international sports calendar.
Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), on its part, has also agreed with moving the Tokyo Olympics next year.
In his statement, POC president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino said that a 2021 schedule is ideal enough. “I favor a postponement because the health and safety of everyone in sports—both in the Philippines and all over the world—is paramount in this Covid-19 pandemic.”
Tolentino added that the postponement would mean more time to train for those who have already qualified and for those who are still trying to qualify.
Earlier, Samahang Weightlifting ng Pilipinas president Monico Puentevella said that “with Covid-19 affected thousands of people from many countries across the globe, it’s more important to protect our athletes.”
Puentevella stressed that as long as this pandemic continues, our athletes will understand and survive.
“One year is not too long,” said Puentevella, who was also a former Philippine Olympic Chairman. “We sympathize though with Japan because they will have some financial difficulties but, who knows, they might earn more at the end. Let’s all pray that this pandemic end. We have to move on,” he added.
During the last 2016 Rio Olympics, weightlifting delivered another silver medal for the country after two decades courtesy of Hidilyn Diaz. It was also the country’s lone medal during that event.