The Japanese government and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) have agreed to postpone the Tokyo Olympics to next year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Olympic golf event had been scheduled to take place at Kasumigaseki Country Club in Saitama this July 30-August 8. Malaysia’s Gavin Green and Kelly Tan were both on course for their second Olympic appearances but will now have to wait another year.
The men’s and women’s golf events will feature 60 players each, with qualification based on an Olympic ranking which in turn is based on the Official World Golf Ranking but with country restrictions to ensure worldwide representation.
The International Golf Federation released a statement after the announcement was made.
“The International Golf Federation supports the decision made by the IOC and Tokyo 2020 to postpone the Olympic Games until 2021 given the exceptional environment and the challenges that we are all confronting. We will work with them to address how this decision affects our sport and our athletes and to develop the necessary plans to resolve these. We remain fully committed to providing safe and fair golf competitions and a memorable experience for our athletes when these Olympic games are held in 2021,” the statement read.
The IOC made the decision after discussions with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and organizers. The Games will be held ‘not later than summer 2021’ but will still be called the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
“In the present circumstances and based on the information provided by the WHO today, the IOC President and the Prime Minister of Japan have concluded that the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo must be rescheduled to a date beyond 2020 but not later than summer 2021, to safeguard the health of the athletes, everybody involved in the Olympic Games and the international community,” the IOC noted in a statement.
