Haryana to host 2021 Khelo India Youth Games after Tokyo Olympics

New Delhi: Haryana will host the fourth edition of the Khelo India Youth Games after the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, the state’s chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Union sports minister Kiren Rijiju announced on Saturday. The Games will be held in Panchkula. The announcement was made via video conference.

“Usually the Khelo India Youth Games take place in January of every year. However, this time owing to the pandemic, we have to postpone it,” Rijiju said.

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Commonwealth Youth Games 2021 rescheduled to 2023

Commonwealth Youth Games 2021 rescheduled to 2023

New Delhi: The 2021 Commonwealth Youth Games was on Friday postponed to 2023 because of clash of dates with Tokyo Olympics, which has been pushed back by a year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Tokyo Olympics were originally scheduled to be held from July 23 to August 8 this year but the quadrennial event was postponed by a year last month owing to the pandemic, which has so far claimed over 2 lakh lives globally.

“The Commonwealth Games Federation Executive Board have decided to explore rescheduling options for the 2021 Commonwealth Youth Games,” the CGF said in a statement.

“The impact of the pandemic on the global international sporting calendar means that the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics have now been rescheduled to the summer of 2021 during the original dates of the Youth Games.

“Following positive discussions, the CGF has agreed to consider the best alternative options and time frames for staging the event in the future, potentially in 2023,” it added.

The seventh Commonwealth Youth Games were scheduled to take place from August 1 to 7 2021 in Trinidad and Tobago.

The CGF said the Caribbean nation will continue to remain the first preference for hosting the Games.

“The CGF has given Trinidad and Tobago Commonwealth Games Association consideration as the first option to host.”

CGF President Dame Louise Martin said the decision was taken in the best interest of athletes and fans.

“The rescheduling of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics has also changed demands on scheduling and resources for many of our Commonwealth Games Associations and International Federations from 2020 to 2021.

“Covid-19 has had a devastating impact across the world and everyone’s absolute priority is the health and wellbeing of their communities,” she said.

Tokyo Olympics 2021 ‘difficult’ if pandemic not contained: Abe

Tokyo Olympics 2021 ‘difficult’ if pandemic not contained: Abe

Tokyo: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Wednesday it would be “difficult” to hold the postponed Tokyo Olympics if the coronavirus pandemic is not contained.

The premier’s remarks came a day after Tokyo 2020 president Yoshiro Mori said in an interview with local sports daily the Olympics will have to be canceled if the coronavirus pandemic isn’t brought under control by next year.

Abe told parliament: “We must hold the Olympics as a testament to humanity’s victory over the coronavirus.”

“If we’re not in such a situation, it’s difficult (to hold) the Games,” he said, insisting on the importance of developing vaccines and drugs.

He added: “We’ve been saying we will hold the Olympics and Paralympics in which athletes and spectators can participate safely and in a complete form. I think (the Olympics) cannot be held in a complete form if the pandemic is not contained.”

The pandemic has already forced a year-long delay of the Games, which are now scheduled to open on July 23, 2021.Mori was asked by the Nikkan Sports daily whether the Games could be delayed until 2022 if the pandemic remains a threat next year, to which he said: “No.”

“In that case, it’s canceled,” he said in the interview published on Tuesday.

A Tokyo 2020 spokesman told reporters also on Tuesday that Mori’s remarks were based on “the chairman’s own thoughts”.

Postponing the Games is an enormous logistical and financial challenge, with the final price tag for the delay still unclear.

The pandemic has caused 217,000 deaths around the globe. In Japan, the virus has infected around 14,000 and killed almost 400.

The country is under a month-long state of emergency and officials have asked non-essential businesses to shut their doors.