Kiren Rijiju welcomes IOC's decision of postponing Tokyo Olympics 2020

Indian Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju has heaped praised on the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) decision to postpone the Tokyo Olympics 2020 in a recent tweet.

In his tweet, Rijiju has asked for the athletes to remain optimistic of the larger opportunities that lie in front of them in the coming year.

After weeks of speculation around the possible postponement of this year's Olympics, it was confirmed earlier today that the quadrennial event will be contested in the summer of 2021.

Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe earlier this evening confirmed the delay in commencement of the Olympics, claiming that he, along with IOC chief Thomas Bach, decided to take the call in view of the health concerns posed by the coronavirus.

A few days earlier, the Canadian and Australian Olympic committees confirmed their withdrawal from the Tokyo Olympics, sending out a clear message that their athletes' safety was of paramount importance.

Yesterday, reports surfaced that the Japan PM had indeed proposed a one-year delay of the Olympics. While the IOC's response was unclear, today's confirmation has also brought with it a whole lot of questions.

I welcome the decison of IOC to postpone #Tokyo2020 in view of the global pandemic. It's necessary for the well being of athletes from across the world. I urge our athletes not to lose heart. We'll create better opportunities so that we can have India's best medal tally in 2021. pic.twitter.com/VWY6vN8WVr

— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) March 24, 2020

Given that all the sports will yet again host a qualification cycle for the next year, it remains to be seen if all the qualified athletes are forced to go through the whole process again.

If not, the postponement will see a few athletes breathe a sigh of relief for they now have the chance to push for a berth over the next 10-12 months.