There's a growing possibility the Tokyo Olympics won't begin in late July as scheduled due to the new coronavirus. The International Olympic Committee now says it will consider the possibility of postponing the Summer Games.
The IOC issued a statement saying it will hold four weeks of discussions with global sports officials and Japanese authorities to examine the options. It says the "scenario planning" will include the possibility of changing the July 24 start date for the Games, but that "cancellation is not on the agenda."
The announcement came after IOC President Thomas Bach led a conference call with executive board members. The leader of the international track federation has sent a letter to Bach saying holding the Olympics in July "is neither feasible nor desirable" with the coronavirus impacting huge swaths of the globe. The Canadian Olympic Committee has made the strongest objection yet to an Olympics this summer, announcing it will not send a team to Tokyo unless the games are postponed for a year. Canada is the first country to threaten such a move in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. The committee sent out a statement Sunday evening saying it was willing to help the IOC search for alternatives. However, it feels it was not safe for athletes, "their families and the broader Canadian community for athletes to continue training for these Games."
The Australian Olympic Committee is advising its athletes to prepare for an Olympics in 2021. Ian Chesterman, Australia's team leader for Tokyo, says "It's clear the games can't be held in July." Two-time gold medalist Seb Coe has sent a letter to Bach stating that holding the Olympics in July "is neither feasible nor desirable" with the coronavirus impacting huge swaths of the globe. Coe sent the letter after meeting with leaders from around the world in track, which is the biggest sport at the Olympics. It came hours after the IOC announced it could take up to four weeks to make a decision on whether to postpone the games, which are scheduled to start July 24. Coe is a two-time Olympic track champion in the men's 1,500 and president of the International Association of Athletics Federations.
Leaders at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee said the update provided by the IOC about the Tokyo Olympics signaled an important step. However, those U.S. sports leaders say athletes are still beset with questions about whether the games will go ahead as scheduled.
National Olympic committees in Brazil and Slovenia later called for a postponement to 2021. Norway's Olympic body said it did not want athletes going to Tokyo until the global health crisis is under control.
The United States governing bodies of swimming and track have called on their national Olympic officials to push for a postponement.
In other virus-related news:
Toronto Blue Jays President Mark Shapiro says he thinks Major League Baseball would need at least a month of workouts and exhibition games before regular season play can begin. Opening day has been postponed until at least mid-May because of the coronavirus pandemic. Shapiro cautioned that training camps aren't likely to open for some time because of the outbreak. All but three of Toronto's major league players have left the team's spring training site in Dunedin, Florida. Shapiro says no Blue Jays players or staff have displayed any symptoms of the new coronavirus, and that no one has been tested. Shapiro spoke to reporters on Sunday from his home in Toronto.
Leading golf instructor Pete Cowen tells The Daily Telegraph in Britain he has all the symptoms of the new coronavirus. Cowen says he has told all his players to follow health and government guidelines on COVID-19. Cowen works with Henrik Stenson, Brooks Koepka, Gary Woodland and Graeme McDowell, among many others.
The St. Louis Blues say a relative of a team employee has tested positive for COVID-19. The person is in self-isolation along with members of the person's family, according to the team. All Blues staff who may have come into close contact with the employee have been notified. The team says it is asking for all members of the Blues to remain isolated, monitor their health and seek advice from team medical staff.
Hours after the Australian government called for its citizens to cancel all non-essential travel, the Australian rules Australian Football League announced it was postponing its seasons until May 31. Australia's various football leagues were among the few remaining professional sports still playing across the globe.
The $12 million Dubai World Cup, the world's richest purse in horse racing, will be postponed until next year. That's according to a governmental agency. Officials had planned to run the race March 28 without spectators.
NFL
The New York Jets and cornerback Pierre Desir have agreed to terms on a deal, according to two people with direct knowledge of the contract. The Athletic first reported the Jets' agreement with Desir, who was released by Colts on Saturday. The 29-year-old defensive back spent the past three seasons with Indianapolis, where he had 161 total tackles, five interceptions, 26 passes defensed, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery in 37 games, including 29 starts.
A person with knowledge of the deal says the Seahawks have agreed to terms with offensive lineman Chance Warmack. The former first-round pick has not played since 2018 when he appeared in nine games for Philadelphia. Warmack sat out last season to reportedly get healthy after a series of injuries.
NASCAR
Denny Hamlin won a race without using a drop of gas. Racing barefoot, the three-time Daytona 500 winner beat Dale Earnhardt Jr. off the final corner to win a NASCAR iRacing event at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway. Damaged cars were repaired with the push of a button, among a few virtual signs that NASCAR backed quite an unreal race. NASCAR eased off the brake in the real sports world brought to a sudden halt by the coronavirus and introduced the country to iRacing with some of the sport's biggest stars. It was Hamlin's 31st victory in iRacing, which is where he was first discovered by Earnhardt long before he made it to NASCAR. He said he raced barefoot because "I like to feel the pedals." Hamlin was heavily involved in putting together Sunday's pretend race, which was broadcast live on Fox Sports 1 and called by its regular team of Mike Joy and Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon. NASCAR has suspended racing until at least May 9.
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