The Tokyo Olympics, postponed last week due to the coronavirus pandemic, is now set be held from July 23 to August 8 in 2021, the International Olympic Committee confirmed on Monday. The Paralympic Games have been rescheduled for August 24 to September 5.
The Summer Olympic Games were originally scheduled to take place from July 24 to August 9 this year in the Japanese capital but were postponed due to the coronavirus. The spread of the virus forced the International Olympic Committee to take the historic decision to postpone the Games until next year.
Here are the edited excerpts from the FAQ issued by IOC which have been updated with recommendations from a task force regarding the qualification norms:
When will the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 be staged and what are you working on right now?
The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 will be celebrated from 23 July until 8 August 2021. It is a very complex event to organise, and its postponement is a real challenge. It is like a huge jigsaw puzzle where every piece is important and must fit together.
It is the responsibility of the Tokyo 2020 Coordination Commission to work with all the stakeholders involved, starting with the Organising Committee Tokyo 2020, the 33 International Federations, the 206 National Olympic Committees, athletes, sponsors and broadcasters to work on all the questions coming from the decision taken to postpone the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.
A dedicated Task Force – called “Here we go” – has been established under the umbrella of the Tokyo 2020 Coordination Commission and comprises Tokyo 2020 and the IOC. Its remit is to address the long list of questions that the postponement raises.
What exactly triggered the postponement and why did it take so long?
The postponement was based on the dynamic spreading of COVID-19 pandemic. The IOC has, from the very beginning, communicated that it was monitoring the situation day-by-day, 24 hours a day, and that it would adapt to any changes, and follow the advice of the World Health Organization. This is exactly what was done.
The sequence of events that led to postponement has been explained by the IOC President on many occasions and can be found here.
Have the Games been postponed before?
No. The 20th century’s two World Wars led several editions of the Olympic Games to be cancelled, but this will be the first time in Olympic history that the Games are postponed. More information on previous cancellations of the Games can be found here.
Was the postponement driven by the growing voices of criticism coming from athletes and NOCs around the world?
The IOC has always taken into consideration the athletes’ voice, which has played a very important role. We are in constant contact with our Athletes’ Commission, whose Chair is a member of the IOC Executive Board and takes part in any consultation, any decision and any vote.
The IOC President addressed the athletes in several letters. There were also several calls between our Athletes’ Commission and many athlete representatives around the world, and a phone call with more than 200 athlete representatives and the IOC President. In this phone call, there was not a single voice asking for the cancellation of the Games. The questions revolved around the qualification system, the training conditions, mental health and other issues. We took all of this into consideration, plus the many voices of athletes that we heard from around the world who were not in this call. Some were critical, and others were very supportive. This is normal in this very difficult situation of uncertainty.
What do you hope will be the legacy of Tokyo 2020 for the people of Japan now that the games have been postponed?
We all agree that the Olympic Games in Tokyo can stand as a beacon of hope to the world during these troubled times. Humankind currently finds itself in a dark tunnel. These Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and the Olympic flame can be a light at the end of this tunnel. Therefore, it was agreed that the Olympic flame will stay in Japan. It was also agreed that the Games will keep the name “Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020”. Hosting the Games in 2021 is already very symbolic, and we hope the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 will be a celebration of humankind.
What will happen to the olympic flame and the torch relay?
The Olympic Torch Relay will stop for now, but it was agreed that the Olympic flame will stay in Japan.
How are you going to handle the qualification process for these Games?
The qualification process and any questions related to the rescheduling of sporting events will be discussed individually with the International Federations as part of the work of the “Here we go” Task Force. We will be able to share more information when the Task Force has consulted all the relevant parties, and we can adapt the qualification systems with the respective Federations.
It is clear that all those athletes who have qualified for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 already remain qualified. This is a consequence of the fact that these Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, in agreement with Japan, will remain the Games of the XXXII Olympiad. Some 57 per cent of qualification places have already been obtained. In some cases, this qualification quota place is gained by the National Olympic Committee, and in some cases it is gained directly by a specific athlete. In all cases, and as per the Olympic Charter, the respective NOC retains the right to select the athletes to represent their NOC at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.
What will happen for ticket-holders? Will their tickets remain valid or will refunds be available?
This is something that the Tokyo 2020 organisers are currently working on. They will provide this information to ticket-holders as soon as they have figured out the best way forward.
What will happen with the Olympic Village?
This is one of the many questions that will need to be addressed by the “Here we go” Task Force. The best will be done to ensure that there is an Olympic Village in Tokyo 2020, as this is where the heart of the Olympic Games is beating. It is our hope that we can have an Olympic Village in the traditional form, because everybody who has once lived in an Olympic Village knows that this is the real Olympic experience. This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience – living under one roof with the whole world, forming these unique Olympic communities.
Some top partner agreements end in 2020 – will these partners lose the sponsorship opportunity, or will you extend their agreement?
In the spirit of partnership, we are working in close collaboration with all of our broadcasters and sponsors to ensure the success of the rescheduled Tokyo Games. We thank them for their long-term support of the Olympic Movement and commitment to the Olympic values, including in this unprecedented situation. Our intention is that our partners who have rights to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 are able to continue to associate with those Games following the postponement, as the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 will continue to be the Games of the XXXII Olympiad.
What will happen if the pandemic is still not contained by summer 2021?
We will follow WHO’s risk management and mitigation measures for mass gatherings in the context of the current Covid-19 outbreak. We will continue to follow the principle that has driven all our decisions so far, which is to organise Olympic Games only in a safe environment for all people involved. We are committed to following this principle in the future.
Update: What are the key points of the revised Tokyo 2020 qualification system?
First, the qualification period is extended. The deadline now is 29 June 2021. But international federations can define their own deadlines before this date. And the final sport entries deadline is 5 July 2021.
Second, the athletes and National Olympic Committees who already earned an Olympic qualification quota place will retain it. In all, 57% of the total athlete quota places have already been allocated. And there are about 5,000 athlete quota places still to be assigned.
The task force said “the priority remains to reflect, where possible, the allocation method/pathway of the original qualification systems for each sport.”
For some sports, however, the quota allocation was originally based on ranking. In such cases, the IFs retain full discretion to define the new ranking deadline and pathway.
“The IOC recognises the sensitivity of such decisions. A sport-specific balance needs to be found between protecting those athletes who were close to qualifying based on the previous 2020 deadlines and also ensuring the participation of the best athletes at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 by allowing the top performers of the 2021 season to qualify”, noted the task force.
Finally, the task force also addressed the eligibility criteria saying “it is possible for IFs to extend the age eligibility criteria, if such exist, and allow athletes who are eligible in 2020 to remain eligible to compete at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 from 23 July to 8 August 2021”. As an example, the men’s football tournament is based on aged criteria (U-23), which could be modified for Tokyo 2020.
Similarly, the IFs could re-assess the eligibility of those athletes who are not eligible in July 2020 but will meet the lower age limit in 2021.