President of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC), Habu Gomel, has commended both the IOC and the Tokyo 2020 Committee for
postponing the 2020 Olympic Games due to the impacts of the Covid- 19 which have continued to spread around the world.
Gumel said this decision is in the best interest of humanity because of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
“It is very important at this point to have a rethink about the summer games. We have been engaging ourselves on video calls overtime. That is, the IOC, the Japanese government and the organisers are working hand – in – hand with the World Health Organisation (WHO) to put in place the best for our athletes, officials and guests that will be in Japan but the extent the covid 19 has gotten to is a major concern for all and sundry, hence the postponement,”observed Gumel.
Speaking further, Gumel who is an IOC member stated that the NOC remains committed to supporting the Sporting Federations in the completion of their qualification process.
He charged the Federations to continue to work in unity with the NOC for the betterment of all.
The IOC, the Japanese government and the organisers on the backdrop of the advice of the WHO decided that the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo be rescheduled to a date not later than summer 2021 in order to safeguard the health of the athletes and create the best possible environment for them to train and participate in the games.
The games however, will keep the name Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020.
