Indian boxer Mary Kom has welcomed International Olympic Committee's (IOC) "right decision" to postpone the 2020 Tokyo Olympics due to coronavirus outbreak.
Kom, a six-time world champion and London 2012 bronze medallist, took to Twitter to write: "Excellent and right decision."
For the first time in the history of the mega global event, the Olympics are being postponed by a year.
The decision was confirmed by the IOC after the organising body for the event and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday agreed to reschedule the Tokyo Olympics in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Olympics were cancelled in the past but were never postponed. In 1916, 1940 and 1944, the Games were cancelled because of the World Wars.
The Tokyo Olympics will now take place next year. The IOC has, however, said that the original name of Tokyo 2020 will remain intact irrespective of the fact that it will take place next year.
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"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 had said in an official statement.
The Tokyo Olympic Games were slated to be held from July 24 to August 9, while the Paralympic Games were scheduled to be held from August 25 to September 6.