the virus continues to have a huge impact on sport across the world, but the ioc president thomas bach and that all the competitors should prepare for the scheduled start ofjuly 24th. he was speaking at an executive committee meeting in switzerland on tuesday. 12 people have died injapan with almost a thousand cases of the virus identified. japan's olympics minister acknowledged today that the terms of their contract would allow for a postponement until later in the year. let's get more on this story from our sports editor, dan roan in lausanne. such as the cost with billions of pounds being spent by the japanese authorities and the scale of the olympics. around 11,000 competitors are taking place, as well as the fa ct are taking place, as well as the fact that we are in a very crowded supporting calendar. the ramifications of a delay to tokyo 2020 are almost impossible to imagine. they are colossal. i think that's why perhaps today here at the ioc headquarters they seem so relu cta nt to ioc headquarters they seem so reluctant to even contemplate that possibility. president thomas boc

president thomas bach says for now it will be business as usual the i.o.c. the organizing. the whole city of tokyo the government of japan and in the world health organization really remain very confident with regard to the safety of these olympic games talk your 2020 i would like to encourage all the athletes to their preparation for the olympic games tokyo 2020 with great confidence and with foreign steam a reminder of the top story we're following for you. moderate presidential candidate joe biden has opened up an early lead in the democrats in the democratic party's super tuesday primaries he's projected to win at least 7 states by leftist very standards bernie sanders has won 2 voters in 14 states are deciding who should take a donald trump in the race for the white house. that's all for now but business news is up next kate ferguson remembers a visit. at our web site to keep up to date with all the latest news and information and told me a lot of things which. the. massive drama competition drive marketing number status here fight at sac intuition love hate money. fan

the president of the international olympic committee, thomas bach, has said this year's games in tokyoof the covid—19 pandemic. the ioc has faced mounting calls from athletes, teams and athletics federations to re—schedule the event. 0ur sports news correspondent 0lly foster says a july start to the games is now looking very unlikely. the last week or so we've been hearing the concerns, the fears of olympic athletes, their health and welfare, disruption to their training programmes, looking ahead to the summer games, looking for guidance from the ioc well, we heard from the ioc well, we heard from them today and they said they are going to be stepping up they are going to be stepping up their scenario planning. that is looking at all the options. we know the olympic flame is injapan, 0lympic president says looking at that country, there have been significant improvements since the first outbreak there. he says he's not going to cancel the games in tokyo but a postponement is certainly on the table for a possible downsizing, scaling back of the games. the british olympic association so

we know the olympic flame is injapan, the 0lympic president thomas bach says looking at that country,s not going to cancel the games in tokyo but a postponement, that is certainly on the table now, ora is certainly on the table now, or a possible downsizing, a scaling back of the games. the british olympic association save they want some rapid decision—making on this for the sake of our athletes, they want a postponement, so do world athletics was the trouble is thomas bach says it could be up to four weeks for all of these discussions to take place with the stakeholders over 200 participating nations before he is in participating nations before he isina participating nations before he is in a position to make a decision one way or another. he has written an open letter to athletes all over the world, says that 0lympic athletes all over the world, says that olympic flame is the light at the end of this tunnel. but he also writes in the letter that nobody knows how long the tunnel is now. 0lly foster. for many of us, aspects of daily life have changed in ways we might not have anticipa

meanwhile, ioc president thomas bach says yesterday's decision to postpone the games was a tough one.ake because, first of all, we had to consider the dreams of the olympic athletes, which we wanted to make coming true. given the latest worldwide dramatic developments in the spreading of the virus, there we did not see the opportunity any more to organise the 0lympic opportunity any more to organise the olympic games which would safeguard the health of every participant. well, the reaction continues to come in from athletes hoping to be there. vicky holland was the first british woman to win an olympic triathlon medal — with bronze in rio. she also won the last world cup event in australia just before the season was cut short due to the virus and while she understands the need to postpone the games, she says it'll make things more difficult for her. there was her earlier on in their careers will feel that they can put another year of strength work and endurance, but to me i am probably towards the end of my career and i was looking at one last push, going into the summerand was lookin

thomas bach's been speaking at an executive committee meeting in switzerland on tuesday. 12 people have died injapan with almost a thousand cases of the virus identified. japan's olympics minister says the games could be postponed until later in the year if neccesary, but bach says that isn't being considered at the moment: there is a task force in place since mid february and following the regular information for the task force which consist of the ioc, the organising committee, the host city of tokyo, the government ofjapan, and in particular the world health organisation, of course, we will continue this regular consultation with thisjoint task continue this regular consultation with this joint task force to be able to address any development which may occur. even before the olympics there are two major football tournaments on the horizon — the copa america, to be held in colombia and argentina, and euro 2020 which is being staged in 12 different countries right across the continent. uefa delegates met in amsterdam on tuesday to talk about the european championships — and the qualify

president thomas bach say as for now it will be business as usual the i.o.c. the organizing committee the host city of tokyo the government of japan and in particular the world health organization really remain very confident with regard to the safety of these games 2020 i would like to encourage all the athletes to their preparation for the olympic games tokyo 2020 with great confidence and with steam. in the german cup quarter finals and she's denied defending champions by in munich defeated hosts shall go one nil to advance in the day's other fixture f.c.s. became the 1st ever 4th division side to advance to the semifinals after beating fortunate distilled of 76 on penalties the draw for the semi's will be held on march 8th and the remaining quarter final fixtures will be played later on wednesday. and a reminder of the top story we're following for you moderate u.s. president presidential candidate joe biden has taken the lead in the democratic party's simply choose day primaries he's projected to win at least 8 same states while leftist but any step by an

matter the international olympic committee thomas bach has ruled out canceling the tokyo summer games despite the coronavirus pandemic but he did say postponing them is being considered as a possible scenario bock indicated a final decision will be made within the next 4 weeks of course the games are set to start on july 24th the i.o.c. and the host nation japan have been under increasing pressure to push back the start date sporting associations and athletes themselves they're concerned about health risks and the interruption to training schedules. see this all be our. entry to any list of surprises moustafa hold out. to give you some tips for you being here in the footsteps of all the great people came in during the most talented fleet street. playing. for a time i wanted to marry much of life in the beach and a good guy to specialise in gemini love making music where exactly. it was fun to learn a lot of our sculpture history. d.w. travel extremely worth a visit. schools closed because of the coronavirus playgrounds off limits and kids alone at home. that's it for us it's quite a r

also mentally it was up to thomas bach the i.o.c. president to prove the record that difficult and historic decision never before have an m.p. gains been perspire but the time it took to make that decision has attracted criticism. finding out because i'm about all i found the delay agone i think. the bottom line is that it was an exceptional especially for the athlete. despite the rapid spread of the coronavirus the japanese. prime minister shinzo. had been playing for time. neither japan nor the i.o.c. wanted to jeopardize their multi-billion dollar gain there are probably going to be thousands if not hundreds of thousands of contracts being entered into and all of that are going to have to be poured over and up to that. next few months if not years to decide where liability really who knows. bach a former friend has always positioned himself as a friend of the athletes but for tack my fright out the events of the past week of showing a lack of leadership through instead of the dog being a strong leader means giving some direction t

of the darkest chapters in recent history while the head of the international olympic committee thomas bach has said canceling the tokyo games is off the table in light of the coronavirus endemic but he did say postponing them is being considered as a possible scenario the games are set to starts on july 24th fox indicated a final decision would be made within the next 4 weeks the i.o.c. and the host nation japan have come under increasing pressure to push back that start date sporting associations and athletes are concerned about the health risks associated with the virus as recently as thursday bach insisted it was too early to consider postponing the games. authorities in gaza have confirmed the 1st cases of coronavirus in the palestinian territory the health ministry says 2 infected citizens have returned from pakistan wedding band use in gaza have been closed and large gatherings banned the prime ministers over the 14 day law down there the rival of the virus raises fears for one of the world's densest and most impoverished populations movement in and out of the territories restricted

my father the international olympic committee thomas bach has ruled out canceling the tokyo summer games despite the coronavirus pandemic but he did say postponing them is being considered as a possible scenario bock indicated a final decision will be made within the next 4 weeks of course the games are set to start on july 24th the i.o.c. and the host nation japan have been under increasing pressure to push back the start date sporting associations and athletes themselves they're concerned about health risks and the interruption to training schedules see the top of the hour. entry to any sort of surprises. oh it's. simply going to india in the footsteps of the great britain kind. hearted most.

thomas bach has indicated that the postponed tokyo 0lympics could be held in the spring of 2021 as aoks at all options. some ministers took the opportunity to watch a small ceremony in the northeast of tokyo with plenty of precautions. an 0lympic cauldron was lit. yesterday's decision to postpone the game was a tough one. it was very ha rd to game was a tough one. it was very hard to take because first of all, we had to consider the dreams of the 0lympic we had to consider the dreams of the olympic athletes, which we wanted to make come true. given the latest worldwide dramatic developments in the spreading of the virus, we did not see the opportunity any more to organise 0lympic not see the opportunity any more to organise olympic games which safeguard the help of everybody. with that postponement in mind, amir believes the boxer professional should reconsider and of waiting another year. i think the best choice was to state amateur and go to the alley games because it gives you a head start, so when i turn rational after the games people can hear who the icon was. i think sportsmen

the global pandemic has called into question this summer's tokyo 0lympics, thomas bach held a conference— something he says was very "constructive". we have a month to go and we will address these actions and we will keep acting in a responsible way in the interests of the athletes and a lwa ys the interests of the athletes and always respecting our two principles, the first priority being safeguarding of the health of the athletes and contribute to the containment of the virus and secondly, to protect the interests of the athletes. the organisers have faced criticism from athletes, who have seen their preparation hampered by coronavirus restrictions. claire taggart is hoping to be in tokyo as part of gb's boccia team and she admits, she having to find a different way to train. for me, personally, i'm trying to do as much as i can in my house and not let the coronavirus or sub isolation restrict me in any way so, yeah, i'm trying to keep going as normal and obviously restricted about not being on the court and stuff like that but trying to simulate that environment at home is much as pos

our sports editor dan roan is in lausanne and there was a defiant tone from the ioc president thomas bachoday? there was. it is a significant day, not just the second there was. it is a significant day, notjust the second day of there was. it is a significant day, not just the second day of this executive board meeting but the first time that we have really had a proper opportunity to question the ioc president, the most powerful man in sport, as to whether or not he has a contingency plan, a plan b, and how late any kind of decision could be reached. that is what i asked him earlier when he held a press c0 nfe re nce . asked him earlier when he held a press conference. i will not add fuel to the flames of speculation by giving something here and there and viewing more speculations. our statement from yesterday is very clear, we are fully committed and we continue to work with the task force and the same is true for the organising committee. this is a reinforcement of his statement actually made yesterday when he said that business was the same as usual and games would happen as planned.

the ioc president thomas bach — says he hopes the games can be the light at the end of this tunnel.kind. we are in a very dark tunnel at this moment in time. and we do not know how long this tunnel will be. but we are confident that with these olympic games and these new dates, then we can bea games and these new dates, then we can be a late at the end of this dark tunnel and weekend therefore, give hope to the athletes of the world and also to the wider public. well the british and irish lions say there will be no "direct clashes" with the games next summer. the rearranged olympics overlaps with the test series against the world champions south africa, but the games against the springboks will kick—off at 6 o'clock local time — that's 1am in tokyo. the series starts on the 24th ofjuly in johannesburg. just to some rugby news from the united states within the last hour — as the board of usa rugby — the sports governing body there — has voted to file for bankruptcy as a result of what they say are "insurmountable financial constraints" in the wake of the coronavirus crisis. they will

thomas bach's been speaking at an executive committee meeting in switzerland on tuesday. 12 people haveases of the virus identified. japan's 0lympics minister says the games could be postponed until later in the year if neccesary, but bach says that isn't being considered at the moment: there is a task force in place since

thomas bach made the remark in a closed teleconference with edge sports organizations. they reportedly discussed changing the initial schedule so the games would avoid tokyo's intense summer heat and typhoon season. there are numerous issues that must be resolved, including how to secure venues and personnel and what to do about tickets that have already been sold. the ioc and japanese government have agreed to postpone the games to the summer of 2021 at the latest. >>> leader of the u.s. and c cha discussed the virus. donald trump described his conversation with xi jinping as very good and says the two countries are working closely, adding that china has a strong understanding of the virus. the championship eainese minist tone. xi also reportedly said ohe hops the u.s. will take concrete steps to improve bilateral relations. trump made headlines when he labeled the virus the "chinese virus." a chinese foreign ministry spokesperson had suggested the u.s. military might have brought it to the chinese city of wuhan. with the number of confirmed cases, severe restrictions

. >> thomas bach says when deciding on the delay, the ioc considered not only conditions in japan but the reality of the situation of athletes abroad. he agreed that postponing the games was the best move. >> translator: we are committed to holding the games in a complete form when we can prove that human beings have overcome illness caused by the new coronavirus. >> it's the first time in olympic history that a public health crisis has caused the games to be put off. athletes applauded the move while wondering about their future. hannah mills was set to compete this summer. she told nhk kdelaying the game was the right decision but she was stillll emotional. >> the olympic gameses is everytything for us and what wee dedicated our lives to. the q question of another year asked, will my body be okay? have i got that drive and motitivation? of coursrse i willl find it, 10 purse. but it just takes a lot of absorbing. >> the effects of the postpoponement are already rippling through the sports world. the world athletics championships were set to be held in the u.s. in august next year and

ioc president thomas bach said w.h.o.'s recommendation on whether to cancel or postpone. if the games do move forward one option being holding themm without spectators. but i don't think that's realistic. aside from losing close to a billion dollars in ticket revenue the olympics is far more than just a sport event. it's about promoting international solidarity. japanese says if there's no opportunity for fans to take part the value of the games will decline. >> well, yes, the value -- it's the value that makes this sports event very special but what about the athletes? they must be very confused. how is this outbreak affecting them? >> it's been dramatic. thousands of athletes aiming to compete in tokyo have yet to qualify. that's because a significant number of qualifying events have been cancelled or postponed. and it's unclear when they will take place. traiaining has also been disrupd as m many countries s are urgin people to self-q-quarantine. soso even if the g games are het will be difficult for athletes to compete at their best. >> it must be so hard for them. bu

. >> thomas bach says when deciding on the delay, the ioc will consider not only conditions in japan but also the reality facing athletes abroad. bach and japanese prime minister shinzo abe agreed that postponing the games was the best move. >> translator: we are committed to holding the games in a complete form when we can prove that human beings have overcome illness caused by the new coronavirus. >> it's the first time in olympic history a public health crisis has caused the games to be put off. athletes applauded the move while wondering about their future. hanna mills was set to compete this summer. she told nhk delaying the games was the right d decision. but hearing the news was still emotional. >> the olympic games iss -- is everything foror us. and it's what we've dedicated our lives to. the question of another year as an athlete and will my body be okay? and, y you know, have i got tha drive and that motivation? of course, i will find it, 100%. bubut it just -- it just takes lot of absorbing. >> the effects of the poststponement arere already rippling t through the sports s

prime minister shinzo abe will talk to thomas bach by phone. the call comes amid speculation the coronavirus pandemic will push the games to be pushed back. also expected on the call is yuriko koike. abe is expected to ask bach to decide on a timeline as soon as possible. this week the ioc said that could take up to to four weeksk. the canadian and the australian olympic committees will not send athletes if the games go on as planned this summer. the athletes were surveyed about the situation and more than 70% said it's not possible for the games to be held on a fair playing field if they continue as scheduled. the committee said postponement is the most promising path given the disruptions to training,g, doping controls, and the qualification process. >>> a group representing potential olympic competitors is calling on athletes to stop training and observe government mandates to self-isolate. they say four weeks is just too long to wait. but one ioc member says that the decision has already been made. dick pound told "usa today" the games will

ioc president thomas bach says he is confident there would be a decision in four weeks. the government of the host city says there are a number of issues to tackle including the issue of the athlete's village. the facilities, changed into residential units. people expect to start living in them 2023. >> translator: there are many stake holders invololved in the tokyo 2016 games. so i think it would take four weeks toeaear from each o of th. i think the metropolitan government is the most important stake holder and we will express our opinions in the negotiations. >> meanwhile, the head of the tokyo olympic organizing committee also spoke after the ioc announcement saying he agrees the new coronavirus could force the games to be postponed. >> t translatotor: the situatio with the virusus is growing mor severe a as itt spreads to new regions particularly in the u.s. and europe. and we are fully aware off the circumstances. we're considering a n number of opinions from different places and we're not foolish enough to say w we'll g go a ahead witith initial plan. >> mori say

it's something international olympic committee president thomas bach touched upon during preparatoryisits to japan. now sources tell nhk that arrangements are being made for bach himself to attend the first baseball game in fukushima city this july. the prefecture will host some of the olympics softball and baseball games while another prefecture affected by the disaster miyagi is home to one of japan's olympic soccer venues. the olympic torch relay also aims to shine a light on reconstruction efforts with the first leg starting on march 26th in fukushima. ♪ >>> tokyo had a wet tuesday here with the domestic and international outlook is jonathan oh. how are you feeling today? >> well, we are talking about some warm weather as well on top of that. probably helped out with rain at least, may have helped out with some people dealing with the pollen. guess what? as we go into wednesday and the rest of the week, if you are a hay fever sufferer you're going to definitely feel it. it's going to be dry and it's going to be warm. now we did see a lot of rain as it went through the daytime hou

. >> thomas bach spoke to nhk after an ioc board meeting confirmed a delay until 2021 for the olympicsnd paralympics. bach said travel restrictions imposed across the world were behind the decision. >> we saw the worldwide spreading of this virus. then the question was not anymore so much what are the conditions in japan, but the question was more, can the rest of the world participate? >> the delay was agreed in a teleconference between bach and japanese prime minister shinzo abe. >> translator: we are committed to holding the games in a complete form when we can prove that human beings have overcome illness caused by the new coronavirus. >> abe is expected to tell u.s. president donald trump of the postponement by phohone o on wednesday, and inform other g 20 leaders later this week. the governor of the host city had this to say. >> translator: it's significant, but the span of poststponement the goal is set at the summer of 2021. it's especially importanant for athletes because they now have a concrete target. >> the head of the organizing committee, i d don't shero mori said the na

. >> ioc president thomas bach said he's confident that they can master this unprecedented challenge. >>> our next story looks at what the postponement of the games means for two of japan's medal hopefuls. >> reporter: reality is slowly sinking in for this equestrian oiwa yoshiaki. he's competed in three olympics but he'll haveve to wait a litt longer to compete for gold in front ofof a hometowown crowd. >> translator: there is a lot of uncertainty. i hope that the environment will change to the point where wewe n practice and compete. when that happens, i plan to train to the best of my abilities. >> worsening an already difficult situation, the competitions he was scheduled to compete in leading up to the games have been canceled due to the coronavirus. oiwa says the one-year delay is not just affecting him. it's also a blow to an equestrian's biggest asset -- theieir horsrses -- who have a narrow time frame to compete at the highest level. >> translator: my partners are at their peak right now. considering their age, the postponement is going to have a negative impact. >> two-time

he also told the other leaders that he e and international l olympic committee president thomas bach had agreed to postpone the tokyo olympic and paralympic games until summer of next year by the latest. abe said he is committed to holding the games as a way of showing how humanity has overcome the pandemic. >>> the number of people infected globally with the coronavirus has topped 460,000. the surge of infections in the united states and some european countries is creating a serious shortage of beds to treat patients. the italian government said on thursday that it had confirmed 6,153 new cases, for a total of 80,539. italy is the second country after china to exceed the 80,000 mark. the government added that the death toll grew by 662, to 8,165, the highest in the world. atillio fontana, president of italy's hardest-hit region of lombardy, appealed for international supporort. >> translator: we need doctors and nurses. please s support us. we would like to ask for support from all countries. >> spain's death toll rose to 4,089, surpassing that of china. a large exhibition complex i

and in sport, speaking at an ioc executive board meeting president thomas bach says the olympic gamesuled injuly despite the growing concerns over the coronavirus and japan's sports minister says there is a contingency for a postponement. england prop mako vunipola is likely to miss the rest of the six nations championship. he's in self—isolation after returning to the uk from tonga via hong kong, although he has displayed no symptoms of the virus. england women's t20 world cup semi—final against india on thursday is set to be a washout in australia, that would see india progress to the finalbecause of a better record in the tournament so far. i'll be back with more on those stories later. today is "super tuesday" in the us, where democrats across 14 states vote for the candidate they want to stand against donald trump in november's presidential election. the former vice presidentjoe biden has been given a boost overnight, as two former rivals have declared their support for him. sophie long reports from los angeles. the polls have opened. people from the south—west coast of californi

president thomas bach asking for postponement he says it's not feasible and not fair to press ahead withthe games with many athletes hampered by closure of the training facilities and after weeks of insisting the games are going ahead as planned tokyo 2020 president yes shearer mori admits that now considering the spine meant but he hit back at christians in that they've been disregarding the opinions of athletes are simply too little cannot deliver order occlusion it is extremely regrettable that athletes are saying we are not thinking about them without athletes there is no way lympics it is because of them that we are in agony i believe each national committee is thinking about and listening to their athletes it is important that we firmly accept these comments and don't ignore them. well sports correspondent lee wellings joins us now live fully the i.o.c. are under a lot of pressure to make that decision sooner than than 4 weeks only. yeah story and it committee have come up with a deadline but i would expect a decision to be made sooner than that i think i have to make a decision 7

president thomas bach that it was ridglea could take up to 4 weeks for a decision to be reached tokyo 20 organizing committee hasn't said anything on the matter just yet a prior to the announcement present your share more you said athletes voices would not be ignored. well she. did a little order. is because we have our fleet see mind that we're going to get me to be frank it is extremely regrettable that athletes are raising boys to say we're not thinking about them with down south least there was no lympics that's an absolute given for what we're doing. the i.o.c. decision came after the canadian olympic and paralympic committee has issued their agreement to not allow athletes to compete at the games had gone on as planned canada sent 314 athletes of the 2016 games in rio 'd the year one of the top 10 largest delegations in attendance many athletes are unable to train as normal due to code 19 putting their participation at risk countries including norway australia and brazil have called for the i.o.c. to postpone the games that canada was the 1st to threaten to not send their athlet

president, thomas bach, said human kind currently finds itself in a dark tunnel.hese olympic games can be a light at the end of this tunnel. a so-calld cherry blossom of olympics in the spring had been considered but organizers preferred to have more time to deal withh the postptponement. >> wewe feel it's better to hold the games next year at summertime for the sake of transportation, volunteers and cket holders arounund the world. for athletes to fully prepare, we need t to give them as much time as possible. reporter: there are many challenges ahead, including ensuring the venues will still be available to use next year. but for the athletes at least, there is now some clarity in the most unclear of times. >> and finally, the characters elmo and this gentleman here, cookie monster, they are adored by children around the world. now they've joined the fight against the coronirus. the two sesame street characters featured a new music public service announcement, teaching kids to sneeze carefully and how to wash t their hands thoroughl. it's going global on a varie

which this information came out and the speed at which it came out just a few days ago thomas bach the president of the ioc said he was giving himself and his organization for weeks. to make it to the skin the decision. basically came just forty eight hours later and it was leaks i. am always face a lolot of crap i isn't not makint sooner because of course that. leads for almost a month not. one of five. steps be pool dealing games. in it's okay have been postponed delayed or canceled all together of course. so the reality was that the ioc. had no choice in making this decision even though they try to give themselves as much time as possible to do it. simon harding there with his take on the payment of the ticket games that's a frosty staging to five seventy four. if okay don't compensate your locals before vehicle should remain true to. i hope you can do is focus on the- at the d. twenty magazine. well d done enough traveling wih his argentine due to security yes we've also cash. welcome to a new addition i'm not a shelby and this week we're taking a look at france's attitude to wait

that was thomas bach they are president of the international olympic committee with the 2020 european championship postponed until next summer due to the pandemic germany's national soccer team has joined the efforts to contain the outbreak by donating 2 and a half 1000000 euros the team germany among the favorites to win the championship called on fans to show solidarity as well and donate to social causes during this crisis the team's donation went into a coronavirus fund raising service here in germany. or let's bring you up to date now on what we know the latest on the coronavirus a new study has confirmed previous estimates that the median incubation period for the virus is 5 days patients are most contagious just before they start showing symptoms and in the 1st week of symptoms the virus cannot be spread by a patient's 2 that's good news for caregivers and hospital workers authorities are cautioning that the drastic measures taken worldwide could be extended and that they could last for months. this is g.w. news after a short break i'll be back to take you through the day we'll

international olympic committee president thomas bach remains confident that the tokyo games will be a success despite concerns of the coronavirus disrupting the event japan's olympic smith says the country could postpone the event until the end of the year tokyo's contract stipulates that the i.o.c. holds the right to cancel the games if they aren't held this year but chapin argue that the contract could be interrupted as allowing a postponement interpreted rather as allowing a postponement interpretation aside japan's government remains committed to hosting the games beginning july 24th and i.o.c. president thomas boss says for now it's business as usual the i.o.c. the organizing. the host city of tokyo the government. and in 50 kilo the world have organization we remain very confident with regard to the success of these wouldn't be games tokyo 2020 i would like to encourage all the athletes to continue with their preparation for the olympic games tokyo with 2020 with great confidence and with the form of steam. this is news and these are our top stories primary elections in 14 u.s

ioc president, thomas bach has written to all athletes.his comes after more athletes from the around the world added their voices to calls for the olympics and paralympics to be postponed. global athlete, fronted by the british olympic cycling champion, callum skinner, says that the games should be pushed back. if they're not, he thinks that athletes could be forced into boycotting the olympics. i think they're concerned about having the decision rest on their judgment. i think what we'd prefer to see is for the ioc and the ipc to take leadership on this and say that they don't consider it to be safe. i don't know if you remember the 2016 games, there were concerns about the zika virus. that seems to pale in comparison with what we're seeing with covid—i9 but we saw a number of athletes choosing not to attend because of concerns about that virus. this is also an issue which isn't totally in the control of the organisers, even if they plan to push ahead, which i would think would be ill—advised. you may see mass boycotts and that would do l

the international olympics committee president thomas bach has indicated that the postponed tokyo olympics held in the spring of 2021, as a special task force looks at all options. some visitors took the opportunity to watch a small ceremony in iwaki, north—east of tokyo. with plenty of precautions, the flame was displayed after its journey from greece, and an olympic cauldron was lit. bach says yesterday's decision to postpone the games was a tough one. it was very hard to take because, first of all, we had to consider the dreams of the olympic athletes, which we wanted to make coming true. given the latest worldwide dramatic developments in the spreading of the virus, we did not see the opportunity any more to organise an olympic games which safeguard the health of every participant. with that postponement in mind, amir khan believes the boxers thinking of turning professional instead of waiting another year should reconsider. con one silver at the athens game in 200a. i think the best move i ever made was to win amateur, it gives you a head start in a way. when i turned professional the

the president of the international olympic committee, thomas bach, says this year's games in tokyo won't be cancelled but could be postponed in light of the outbreak. there's been mounting pressure from professional sporting bodies for organisers to take action. a decision‘s expected within four weeks. now on bbc news — it's hardtalk with stephen sackur. welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sakal welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sakai. the worldwide spread of coronavirus and its significant negative impact on the global economy represents a powerful illustration of the perils of forecasting. countries in lockdown, financial markets in turmoil, this isn't the way 2020 was supposed to pan out. an opportune moment than for myjust pan out. an opportune moment than for my just today. pan out. an opportune moment than for myjust today. acclaimed writer and businesswoman margaret heffernan, to publish a book challenging the fed association —— fetishisation of forecasting. is it is time to embrace uncertainty? margaret heffernan, welcome to hardtalk. i think we would all like to believe that as huma

president thomas bach express that athlete spectator and organizer health was a key point is postponing the games the silver lining the olympic flame will stay on display and live in fukushima as hope until the games opening ceremony next year . and manila it is a good decision i know there's a lot of flip flopping by the i.o.c. it's also a huge moneymaker for the networks that are there on 10 as well so you're seeing now a lot of cars are going to start moving as to figure out these new parts but it's for the best athletes won't get sick spectators will get sick organizers will get sick or regina you can tell me if i'm wrong here i heard that even though they're probably moving it to summer 2021 that they're still calling it the 2021 picks and they are there's no logo change i think when you print so much material with your logo on it it's kind of hard to go and you know just redo it but it's also smart because there's no that's not true the rams just did it well there and did it and it looks like a croissant and people are unhappy the memes are endless there in manila it's croissants

international olympic committee president thomas bach has indicated that the postponed tokyo 0lympics 2021, as a special task force looks at all options. some visitors took the opportunity to watch a small ceremony in iwaki, north—east of tokyo. with plenty of precautions, the flame was displayed after its journey from greece, and an olympic cauldron was lit. bach says yesterday's decision to postpone the games was a tough one. it was very hard to take because first of all, we had to consider the dreams of the olympic, which we wa nted dreams of the olympic, which we wanted to make coming true. given the latest worldwide dramatic developments in the spreading of the virus, we did not see the opportunity any more to organise the 0lympic opportunity any more to organise the olympic games which safeguard the health of every participant. with that postponement in mind, amir khan believes the boxers thinking of turning professional instead of waiting another year should reconsider. khan won silver at the athens games in 2004. i think the best decision i made was to stay amateur and go to t

president thomas bach expressed that athlete spectator and organizer health was the key point in postponing the games but the one silver lining gives everybody hope the flame will stay on display and stay lit. until the game's opening ceremony next year. it was a dramatic finish at an almost empty shoutin race course as the hong kong derby saw one where us and a local jockey making quite a name for themselves as most famous race saw golden 60 and hometown 8 events and how falling behind absolutely right out of the gate aussie rider blake shane he's. and it making a daring move to raise and put golden sixty's chances of victory in the dust but the final 300 meters was all over the magic happened 289 to one odds playa del point they pulled away from the rest of the pack but with 200 metres left to go gold in 60 he comes up with some speed he's the only danger for dale plenty his hopes are still alive though until the final 50 meters gold and 60 is going to end of taking the lead and upset when it was a heart attack material here folks because the come from behind win was separated by just eac

in sport, the ioc president — thomas bach — says they face an unprecedented challenge in rearrangingey will take place in summer 2021. the international council of nurses says that its members are facing unprecedented physical and psychological challenges — as they continue to battle the coronavirus pandemic. it says its 20 million members need to be properly shielded from the virus — and it's calling for an urgent increase in the supply of personal protective equipment. our global health correspondent tulip mazumdar reports. the women and the men on the frontline of this global battle. all over the world, they are putting their lives at risk to protect ours. china was the first country to face the full force of covid—19. south korea followed soon after. health workers have been sending us videos from their clinics from all over the world. translation: when caring for patients we must wear full body protection, two layers of overshoes, gloves, masks, and goggles. in five minutes the whole body is drenched in sweat. it becomes hard to care for patients. the us is the latest country to

president thomas bach expressed that athletes spectators and organizers health was a key point postponing the games the flame will stay away and on display in fukushima until the games opening ceremony next year and while the details of events are so in the works and wanted to be the best experience for those representing their country the fleet will have. the opportunity of their life to make their olympic dream coming true even in these uncertain times we were all go through to get. warm to see the order of the end of the start. all right thank you for that regina ok that's it for me i'm going to. trade and investment to become magic spells to come to economic development. most people think about they think about services being exchanged between countries the in charge of a trade agreement is about something very different but what when investment leads to toxic manufacturing that destroys secrets. the environment. that means local communities that are being poisoned if they object if they do anything that the company feels is interrupting their profits they can be certain no multinatio

ioc president, thomas bach has writen to all athletes, admitting that... around the world, who are adding their voices to calls for the tokyo 0lympics and paralympics to be postponed. global athlete, fronted by the british olympic cycling champion, callum skinner, says that the games should be pushed back. if they're not, skinner thinks that we could see athletes boycotting the event. i think they are concerned about having that decision less on their judgement. i think what we prefer to see would be the ioc and ipc to take leadership in this example and say that they don't consider it to be safe. i remember of all of the members of the 2016 rio 0lympic games there was a lot of worry about the zika virus, in comparison to coronavirus. this is an issue not totally in the hands of the organisers. even if they do plan to push ahead which i would think would be ill—advised, you can still see mass boycotts and that would do pretty long term damage to the olympic movement. the former manchester united midfielder marouan fellaini has tested positive for coronavir

president thomas bach that it was originally could take up to 4 weeks for a decision to be reached tokyo's 2020 organizing committee hasn't said anything on the matter just yet a prior to the announcement present your share more you said athletes voices would not be ignored. did a little order. is because we have our fleet see mind that we are going to get me to be frank it is extremely regrettable that athletes are raising boys to say we are not thinking about them with down south leaks there is no lympics that's an absolute given for what we're doing. the i.o.c. decision came after the canadian olympic and paralympic committee has issued their agreement to not allow athletes to compete at the games had gone on as planned canvas and $314.00 athletes of the 2016 games in rio 'd the year one of the top 10 largest delegations in attendance many athletes are unable to train as normal due to code 19 putting their participation at risk countries including norway australia and brazil have called for the i.o.c. to postpone the games that canada was the 1st to threaten to not send their athletes t

the president of the international olympic committee, thomas bach, has said this year's event in tokyo. mr bach said scrapping the games would not solve any problems caused by the pandemic, nor would it help anybody. the ioc has faced mounting calls from athletes to reschedule the event, which is due to start injuly. joining us now from gainesville in florida is rachel axon, investigative sports reporter for usa today. rachel, it's good to have you with us. rachel, it's good to have you with us. why is the ioc taking so long? this is a huge event. and to move it is certainly not a small undertaking. as they sat in their statement today, there are venues that may not be available, the building that is supposed to have the athletes is supposed to be sold out as apartments in the future, so putting this off by any length of time affects that. if they move this, 2021 a sort of weather dog is 110w this, 2021 a sort of weather dog is now although the ioc is not acknowledging that —— where the talk is, but other events need to be moved also, so when you're talking about an event that is billi

the table for rescheduling the olympic games, as the international olympic committee president thomas bache new date will not be restricted to the summer months. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. the british medical association say there's growing evidence that thousands of frontline doctors are still not getting the personal protection equipment they need to treat patients with coronavirus. the doctors‘ union says it means some medics are likely to become very ill and some may die. some doctors have resorted to taking their own eye protection goggles to work because there aren't enough visors. today it emerged that a 21—year—old woman with no known underlying health conditions is believed to be the youngest person in the uk to die from coronavirus. meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of people have stepped forward to volunteer in the fight against the virus. since the government launched its appeal last night 405,000 people have volunteered to help look after some of the most vulnerable people. to help look after some with more, here's our health editor hugh pym. the shape of

president thomas bach expressed that athletes spectators and organizers health was a key point postponing the games the flame will stay away and on display in fukushima until the games opening ceremony next year and while the details of events are so in the works and wanted to be the best experience for those representing their country the athletes will have a chance and the opportunity off their life to make of their olympic dream coming true even in these uncertain times we're all going through it together. we all want to see the olympic flame at the end of the strike. all right thank you for that regina ok that's it for me i'm an old hand i'll see you back here tomorrow writing it to. your government and our government and all the other major governments of the world know what's going to happen and when it's going. but they haven't told you and they haven't told me they haven't though. imagine something as big as the earth is going to cause tidal waves earthquakes volcanoes are going to wrapped and it's going to chill. so we're in for a while right. my great grandfather's. nobody would

news, there will be a successful games, according to international olympic committee president thomas bachears the coronavirus could postpone tokyo 2020. good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. up to a fifth of workers may be off sick at the peak of a coronavirus outbreak in the uk — and that could force the nhs to delay non—urgent care. this plan has beenjointly agreed and copies of the plans have been sent to both houses in hard copy. the plan is driven by the sites and guided by the expert recommendations of leaf for uk chief medical officers and the scientific advisory group for emergencies. our plan sets out what we know so far about the virus and disease that it causes, the long—term planning we have taken to prepare for a pandemic. what actions we have taken so far in response to the current outbreak and crucially they ruled the —— the role of the public can play in supporting oui’ of the public can play in supporting our response now and in the future. mr speaker, the uk is well prepared for infectious disease outbreaks of this kind. the international data continues to i

president thomas bach expressed that athletes spectators and organizers health was a key point postponing the games the flame will stay away it and on display in fukushima until the games opening ceremony next year and while the details of events are still works and wanted to be the best experience for those representing their country. will have. the opportunity of their life to make their own lives. even in these. times we are all go through we. want to see the order. of the start. all right thank you for that regina ok that's it for me i'm going to. is your media a reflection of reality. in a world transformed. what will make you feel safe. high salacious community. are you going the right way or are you being led to. direct. what is true what is faith. in the world corrupted you need to descend. to join us in the depths. or remain in the shallows. go since. a little bit messed up by our d.n.a. in some way over the bridge i'm not sure it isn't such a quick thing you know i'm sure you look better now than when he had hair come on it's nice of you to say so but i went home and i was 25 an

meanwhile, the world athletics president, lord coe, has sent a letter to his ioc counterpart thomas bach the games be moved from july. coe said in a letter that an olympic games injuly this year is neither feasible nor desirable. athletes all over the world have started saying they simply don't want to go. great britain's adam peaty says... the international olympic committee have given themselves a four week deadline to consider other options, like postponement or scaling back the games. but, as peaty says, with this mounting pressure from athletes and nations like canada pulling out they might be forced to make a decision sooner than that. but what's it like in japan at the moment? well earlier we spoke to our tokyo correspondent, rupert wingfield hayes and asked him what the moods like among the japanese people. an opinion poll published this morning ofjapanese people said a 69% think the games that should be postponed by a year. most people obviously do not want it to be cancelled completely, so a postponement is the thing. i spoke to an athlete training, a surfer training for the ol

the global pandemic has called into question the tokyo olympics but thomas bach held a conference calluctive". we have still more than four months to go. and we will address this action. we will keep acting in a responsible way in the interest of the athletes, but always respecting our two principles, the first priority being safeguarding the health of the athletes and contributing to the containment of the virus and, secondly, then to protect the interests of the athletes and olympic sports. the organisers have faced criticism from athletes, who have seen their preparation hampered by coronavirus restrictions. claire taggart is hoping to be in tokyo as part of gb‘s boccia team and she admits, she having to find a different way to train. for me, myself, personally, i'm trying to do as much as they can in my house and not let the coronavirus or self isolation restrict me in any way. so, yeah, i'mjust trying or self isolation restrict me in any way. so, yeah, i'm just trying to keep going as normal, obviously restricted about not getting on court and stuff like that, by trying to simulat