Dick Pound of the International Olympic Committee admitted that there was concern about the cancellation of the Olympic Games • "May have to ask 'Can we be sure about traveling to Tokyo?'"

• Residents of Tokyo against the background of the Olympic Games logo. See you in the summer?

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Dick Pound, the longest-serving member of the International Olympic Committee, estimated Tuesday that a three-month window for a decision on the fate of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics has followed the spread of the Corona virus.

Contrary to the panic the virus has caused around the world, in an interview yesterday, Pound did not sound appalled, but frankly spoke about the risks of the Olympics, which is set to open in the July 24 capital of Japan.

"The Corona is the new war and needs to be dealt with," Pound said. "Around May, I would say they would have to ask, 'Is it sufficiently controlled that we can be confident about traveling to Tokyo, or not?'"

Pound described uncertainty as a major issue and reiterated the position of the International Olympic Committee, which depends on consultations with the World Health Organization: "It's a big, big, big decision, and you can't make it until there are credible facts to rely on. As usual, you're not simply rejecting an event on the scale and scale of the Olympics.
"There are so many factors involved, so many countries, different seasons, different competitions, television. You can't just say 'we'll do it in October'."

Tokyo children prepare for the July 24 Olympics // Photo: Reuters

Pound added that moving to another city seemed unlikely: "It's difficult to change the location because there are few places in the world that can set up facilities in this short time."

Contests will be moved to Israel?

Will Israel be one of the few countries that can host pre-Olympic competitions? Dozens of Asian sporting events have already been postponed, and if no solution is found for the Corona virus that creates total hysteria, competitions in Europe will soon be hit.

The number of countries that can host pre-Olympic competitions is shrinking with the advent of events in Austria and Croatia, and, following the paralysis of Italian sports, Israel is unlikely to find itself hosting one or the other competition, should the situation in Europe worsen and the situation in Israel remains under control.

It is important to note that in any case no Chinese athlete in any industry has participated in any competition in recent times, and the Chinese delegation to the Olympic Games is likely to be limited.

Global panic in Tokyo // Photo: AP

The Israeli Olympic sport is officially in trouble with the Corona virus, which is starting to hit every day in another sport of the Olympic family. After announcing exclusively that the judo team will not go to the world championships, the industry leaders over the past three days have been working on finding a place where the team can train without the danger of being exposed to Corona. European countries are also in trouble because of the reluctance and uncertainty to host.

Judo Association chairman Moshe Ponty's good relations with the International Judo Association are set to solve the problem in the near future, but the elected team will probably not be able to reach Tokyo before the Olympics.

Chemtai fears closure

While Judo will find solutions and the team is already closed for the Olympic Games, the problem begins in the other industries. Luna Chemtai, who is scheduled to take part in the Tokyo Marathon this weekend, is expected to quit as soon as she returns from the marathon, the amateur section being canceled due to the fear of the Corona.

Chemtai is afraid of another scenario in which the gates for Japanese arrivals will be closed upon her return to Israel, and then the question is asked where she will stay and where to practice. This is one of Israel's top medal candidates, and if its preparations are damaged it is a serious shock to the Israeli delegation to Tokyo.

Luna Chemtai. Where will she practice? // Photo: Reuters

But not only in athletics is a big problem, but also in the female ball team, which in two weeks is due to leave Turin, Italy to compete in the attempt to qualify for the Olympics and do not know where the pre-Olympic tournament will take place, if at all. The International Union will probably move the competition to the Netherlands next month with the aim of not hampering game preparation.

By the way, the Asian pre-Olympic tournament has been completely canceled, and the results obtained in 2018 will now serve as a criterion for the Olympics in light of the fact that most Asian teams can no longer meet with each other due to the threat of Corona.