Athletes pushed the International Olympic Committee to make an immediate decision to postpone the Olympic Games

24 March 2020: Today is a bittersweet victory for athletes, on one hand their Olympic dreams have been put on hold. On the other hand, athletes have shown their power when they work together as a collective.

Athletes from around the globe were clear in their stance that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) must make an immediate decision to postpone the Games and not wait the four weeks as indicated they would need.

At a time when the world is fighting this global pandemic, athletes, as strong global citizens, put their dreams on hold to be a part of the solution in fighting this pandemic.

Global Athlete congratulates all athletes for your brave position. You are champions on and off the field. You are an inspiration to many.

The priority should be to contain this virus. As athletes play their part in self-isolating, we look forward to working with you to further build momentum for athletes’ rights.

While we commend the International Olympic and Paralympic Committees and the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee for coming to this called-for conclusion, they must now engage athletes and athlete groups to be a part of the planning for the forthcoming Tokyo Games.  As shown over the past several weeks, no athletes, no Games.

Media inquires: Media@globalathlete.org