As the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided to postpone the Tokyo 2020 Games, the World Athletics on Tuesday welcomed the decision, saying this is what the athletes eventually wanted.
"The World Athletics welcomes the decision of the IOC and the Japanese government to postpone the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games to 2021. It is what athletes want and we believe this decision will give all athletes, technical officials and volunteers some respite and certainty in these unprecedented and uncertain times," the World Athletics said in an official statement.
Athletics will continue to do whatever we can to preserve and create an outdoor season of one-day meetings in 2020. This will help them benchmark their performances and adjust their training accordingly for an Olympic Games in 2021," it added.
However, the World Athletics also said that now as the Games have been postponed, the federation will look to expedite the review of the Olympic qualification system.
"In light of this announcement, we will also expedite our current review of the Olympic qualification system, in cooperation with the IOC, and release any changes to the process as soon as possible so athletes know where they stand," World Athletics said.
Earlier today, for the first time in the history of the mega global event, the Olympics were postponed by a year.
More From This Section
The decision was confirmed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) after the organising body for the event and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe 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.
"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 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.