Dressage-News

Mar. 24, 2020

The United States Olympic and Paralympic on Monday night came out in support of postponement of the summer Olympics in Tokyo, joining a growing chorus of nations pressing the International Olympic Committee to delay the Games as the world battles the coronavirus pandemic.

The USOPC said that 1,780 Team USA athletes provided input that led it to conclude: “We regret that there is no outcome that can solve all the concerns we face. Our most important conclusion from this broad athlete response is that even if the current significant health concerns could be alleviated by late summer, the enormous disruptions to the training environment, doping controls and qualification process can’t be overcome in a satisfactory manner.

“To that end, it’s more clear than ever that the path toward postponement is the most promising, and we encourage the IOC to take all needed steps to ensure the Games can be conducted under safe and fair conditions for all competitors.”

The decision by the U.S. came after a host of nations including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany and Norway as well as some major international sporting federations came out in support of postponing the Olympics from its July 24 start date.

The American commercial television network NBC is paying the IOC US$1.45/€1.36 billion for broadcast rights for Tokyo,

Earlier Monday, Richard Pound, a Canadian lawyer who is one of the most influential members of the IOC, said a decision had already been made to postpone the Games but details were still to be worked out.

Among a growing number of key equestrian events to be canceled or postponed was the German dressage and jumping championship in Balve in mid-May and the CHIO 5* Nations Cups of jumping and dressage in Rotterdam in June.

Earlier Monday, Richard Pound, a Canadian lawyer who is one of the most influential members of the IOC, said a decision had already been made to postpone the Games but details were still being worked out.