Due to the impact of the novel coronavirus' current spread, at the request of the government competitions and events across the range of sport have been either canceled or postponed. This culminated with the Mar. 24 joint announcement by the International Olympic Committee and Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee of the postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, and yesterday's announcement of the two events' new dates a year later.
Many athletes and athletic teams are no doubt feeling the sting of pain, regret and sadness due to the cancelation of competitions for which they had already dedicated long hours of effort. There are also many who are feeling anxiety about their future plans whenever they see the news.
It's the same for me. I'm not just the Japan Sports Agency Commissioner. I'm an athlete who has spent countless days in pursuit of my goals and dreams the same as the rest of you. I am profoundly aware of the hard work you've already put in, and of the feelings of confusion and loss you are experiencing in the face of this situation.
But even in the midst of this dire situation, I see athletes encouraging children in videos they post on social media. High school students willing to get past their disappointment and channel it into working toward new goals. It touches my heart, deeply.
And race organizers as well. Despite all the preparations they have made over long months of working with passion and a sense of mission, when the time comes to consider the safety and security of everyone involved and the bigger picture of slowing the spread of this virus, they have made the tough decisions to cancel or postpone, no matter how deeply it cuts them.
Once again, I must express my sincere respect and gratitude to everyone involved in the sports world who is supporting that bigger picture by taking what measures they can to fight the spread. This is the kind of moment in which I feel again, strongly, the value of sport.
Sport is not only essential to maintain and elevate our physical and mental health, but also something that gives people pride, joy, dreams, excitement, courage. It connects people, unites regions, and builds a bridge between nations.
In order for sport to reach the potential of its inherent power in lending vitality to society, as leader of the country's sports administration I will listen carefully to the opinions and requests we have received from all of you as we at the Japan Sports Agency work to bring sport back to the country in an atmosphere of safety and security for all citizens.
In the end, I think what matters most is that each of us takes the necessary steps to be prepared and to prevent spreading infection. I hope that all of us in the sport community can work together as one to further our understanding and teamwork in helping to bring this public health threat under control. You have my thanks.
Daichi Suzuki
Commissioner
Japan Sports Agency
source article:
https://www.mext.go.jp/sports/b_menu/choukan/jsa_00011.html
translated by Brett Larner
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