150 days before the Summer Games in Tokyo, the IOC sees no danger for the major event due to the corona virus. In return, the cancellation of sporting events in the countries affected by Covid-19 is increasing - especially in Italy.
Lausanne (dpa) - Despite the expansion of the corona virus, the International Olympic Committee continues to see no threat to the summer games from July 24 to August 9 in Tokyo.
"Preparations for the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020 will continue as planned," said the IOC at the request of the German press agency. "Countermeasures against infectious diseases are an important part of Tokyo 2020's plans to host safe games."
On the other hand, 150 days before the Tokyo Games, concerns are particularly high in Italy, the venue for the 2026 Winter Games in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo. Because of the rapidly increasing number of patients in the north of the neighboring country, the risk of Covid-19 being brought in by travel to Germany is increasing. Under the leadership of the Olympic chief physician of the German Olympic Sports Confederation, Bernd Wolfarth, the member associations are regularly informed about the current situation, said the DOSB.
Due to the outbreak of the corona virus in northern Italy, the first board meeting to prepare for the winter games in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo in six years 2026 could only take place as a video conference. This was announced by the Italian National Olympic Committee. The Italian government has also canceled all sporting events in Lombardy and Veneto. Four Serie A games in football were also affected.
The sports authorities advise whether the games of the top professional football class should be played next weekend, excluding spectators. Serie A president Paolo Dal Pino wrote to the government asking that the league games not be suspended in areas affected by the coronavirus, the Ansa news agency reported on Monday. There are also concerns ahead of Inter Milan's Europa League game against Ludogorez on Thursday.
The Bulgarian club has already written to the European Football Association asking for information about the situation. At dpa request, UEFA initially did not comment on whether the corona virus would affect the European Cup matches this week. The German Football League is also monitoring the situation. According to dpa information, no game cancellations are currently under discussion.
The Italian ski association has already suspended all of its events in the country for a whole week. Only the World Cup ski race next weekend in La Thuile in the Valle d'Aosta should "still" take place for the time being, one would be "in constant contact with the authorities". Italy will also host the Ski World Cup final in Cortina d'Ampezzo from March 18-22.
The organizer of the classic Milan - Sanremo bike, Mauro Vegni, is also watching the situation with concern. "There is currently no Plan B for Milan - Sanremo," he told the cyclingnews.com portal. The 291-kilometer route of the one-day race, which is to take place on March 21, leads from Milan partly through Lombardy, in which a particularly large number of Corona cases were registered. A route relocation is out of the question for Vegni: "It would make no sense to cut three quarters of the route."
The organizers are currently not expecting any restrictions at the World Cycling Championships in Berlin that begin on Wednesday. "We are in contact with the Robert Koch Institute, the world association UCI and the doctor who is on site. There are still no extreme requirements," said organization director Burckhard Bremer. Bremer also sees no problems with the teams arriving. "The Chinese have been in Grenchen (Switzerland) for three weeks and have trained there so that the time for monitoring has taken place there."
Sports events were not only canceled in Italy. The start of the season in football was postponed in South Korea. All games of the K-League and the 2nd League are affected by the decision, said a spokesman for the K-League in Seoul. First, the cancellation of the first two to four game days is considered. "If the situation does not improve, it can be longer," said the spokesman.
Israel has banned foreign runners from starting the Friday Tel Aviv marathon because of concerns about the spread of the corona virus. A spokeswoman for the city confirmed that originally around 3000 foreigners should have participated.
IOC website
DOSB information about the corona virus
Information about the 2026 Winter Olympics
