Should the coronavirus epidemic postpone or cancel the Tokyo Olympics (July 24 - August 9)? Questioned on the subject after a hearing in the Senate on sexual violence, the Minister of Sports Roxana Maracineanu warned of a decision too hasty on the subject. "What worries most is that the decision must be made well in advance if we want to organize the Olympics elsewhere," she explained. We do not know if today's situation will be like in two months and that we will then regret having made this decision for athletes who have been preparing for years and who dream of going to the Olympic Games . "
On February 26, the organizers of the Olympic Games 2020 announced that they did not envisage a cancellation despite a tense situation in Japan, where the government announced on Thursday the closure of schools from Monday until the spring break . "We asked questions and we were told that such a project did not exist," said Toshiro Muto, the head of the organizing committee.
But Dick Pound, dean of the International Olympic Committee, was not so assertive on February 25. "If the virus spreads too far, it should probably be considered for cancellation," he said in an interview with the Associated Press. You simply cannot postpone an event the size of the Olympics. There are so many components, countries, competitions, you can't say: We will do it in October. "
The Paris half-marathon maintained
In France, the Paris half-marathon scheduled for this Sunday has been maintained. This Wednesday evening, the round of 16 first leg of the Champions League between Lyon and Juventus Turin was disputed in the Rhône in the presence of more than 3,000 Turin supporters while Italy is the country most affected by Europe. coronaviruses.
“What is scary is the uncertainty around the virus and not the virus itself. You have to stay on the ridge, says Roxana Maracineanu. If we make the decision to stop a demonstration, we must take it for all the others, that is to say put the country in a deadlock. Should we block everything, when it is not proportional to the reality of the danger? "
"We have set up an action to identify potential sources of danger and the precautions to be taken specific to sport," continues the minister. We do not thematize, since we stick to the decisions of the Ministry of Health and the Prime Minister, but our contribution is to list the athletes who were likely to go on competitions or internships abroad or foreigners who come to France for competitions. "