IOC plans to hold upcoming session remotely on July 17

Lausanne, May 7 (IANS) The International Olympic Committee has revealed that it plans to hold its next session — initially scheduled for Tokyo before the opening of the 2020 Games — by video link to be streamed live on July 17.

In a statement, IOC on Wednesday said that in light of the postponement of the Olympic Games to next year and the current measures being implemented in Switzerland and around the world to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, the IOC Executive Board (EB) will discuss holding the 136th IOC Session remotely through a secure electronic system.

The agenda and organistion of the IOC session will be worked out by IOC Executive Board at their next meeting to be held remotely on May 14.

The 2020 edition of the multi-national event was pushed back to 2021 in wake of COVID-19 crisis that has hit the entire world. Tokyo Olympics was supposed to be held in July-August this year but had to to postponed due to coronavirus pandemic which has so far claimed more than 2.5 lakh lives across the world. The IOC has set the new dates as July 23 till August 8 next year.

Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has already stated it will be impossible to host the Olympics even next year if the ongoing coronavirus pandemic cannot be contained till then.

–IANS

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