According to International Olympic Committee (IOC) official Dick Pound, a one year postponement of this year's Tokyo Olympics is on the cards after the global pandemic coronavirus has become the cause for disruption of major sporting events across the world.
After many officials opted for the Olympics to be scheduled, the IOC said the body would wait four weeks before deciding the fate of the historic event which begins from July 24.
Pound believes the IOC is working on the postponement of the Olympics.
"My interpretation of the IOC's communications is they don't want to cancel, and they don't think they can continue with the July 24 date," Pound told AFP.
"So you're looking at the 'P' word - postponement.
"They're going to explore options with the Japanese of course, and then there all kinds of stakeholders -- international federations, NOCs, athletes.
"And then in four weeks they're going to try and come out with a plan B and make it as specific as they can make it in that time period."
Talking about the impact of coronavirus on the world, Pound said: "This is not something that's going to clear up by July 24."
"And this thing isn't going to go away by September or October. A lot of the biggest countries in the world are just about overwhelmed, and it's just starting to take root in Africa. It's a no-go in my view."
"I think the one-year postponement is the most feasible because it gives you the most time to organise," Pound added.
