Wumo

German fencer, Max Hartung, has announced he will not participate in Tokyo this summer. He will only take part in the Games if it is being postponed. In a interview he said he needed to set an example to protect his fellow-athletes. It has to be said Hartung is chairman of the German Athlete Association. https://tokio.sportschau.de/tokio2020/nachrichten/Hartung-sagt-Nein-zu-Olympia-Druck-auf-IOC-wird-groesser,olympia6956.html (in German)

You were quicker than me, @Belle! I was just in the middle of posting the same. But once again, I was too slow. I'm really looking forward to see what she can achieve in biathlon. To those who want more information about it, you can check it here: https://www.svt.se/sport/langdskidor/stina-nilsson-skidskytte

Pretty good draw. We are on team with the host, Croatia, and our eternal frenemy, Sweden.

Great! P.s. the Danish Jury also thank you for sending those bottles of tequila. They are very much appreciated.

I can't see any tequila, @mrv86! Please, say you have one?

Let's be honest, who doesn't want to be on Team Dobrinj Winetasters. (Well, except maybe @Olympian1010 because he is not at the legal drinking age. Well in Croatia he is because the legal drinking age is 18, so there goes my joke down the drain. Why am I explaining all of this and ruining my own joke?) Either way, I hope to be on Dobrinj Winetasters.

Why cancel it if it can't be held in 2020? I'm asking out of curiosity and to hear a different opinion than one's own.

I mostly agree with your standpoint. Due to all the uncertainty of this crisis, it would probably be best to postpone it to next year, as I don't see September or October are better options. How will two or one month extra, without a worldwide vaccine available, change anything? For the health of the athletes and for the fairness of the sports, it seems, giving the current circumstances, a postponement would be a fair and reasonable decision. I would also like to state that I'm not in favour of having the Olympics behind closed doors. As fans and athletes should be able to celebrate these special moments together. After all, despite of not always being one of the top priorities for some of the people in IOC, The Olympics are about bringing nations, cultures and people from all over the world together in the celebration and love of sports. Edit: Just to make it clear. I still have the opinion that IOC shouldn't officially postpone it before May/mid-May. Also, Thomas Bach is often not the best to communicate his points or he is just being too honest sometimes to be in sports politics.

I guess this article fits in this thread. https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1092141/athletes-take-ioc-to-task-coronavirus I'm curious to know how you on the forum think IOC should act, in your opinion, to a situation like this?

I agree in the current situation. We start to hear more and more athletes saying IOC doesn't take the health of the athletes serious. Stefanidi has said she puts her health at risk by training and prepare for competitions. I have also read some gymnasts don't like the idea of touching the same apparatus in a training facility. Also, former British rower, Matthew Pinsent tweeted, this: It's a very difficult situation for all parties involved in this ongoing crisis. As I can see, many here on the forum here wouldn't mind Tokyo 2020 being postponed if the crisis continues like this for the next months, both for the security of the athletes' health and that the qualification process would be too difficult to complete. I'm curious too see if we will some top athlete come out and say that they will boycot the Games before the end of this month? If some do, and the situation get's better by May, will the athletes then say they will participate despite of what they said one or two months before? Beside all the questions about economics, IOC and the organisers are in difficult situation as they and most of world, including health authorities, don't know exactly how this crisis will develop. If IOC comes out this month and say the Tokyo 2020 will be postponed with one year then that decision will likely not be changed. I still think IOC, the Japanese organisers and the majority of athlete still hope the Games will be held this year. Of course I don't have any inside sources to verify this. I could be wrong and Thomas Bach and the Japanese prime minister are the only one who truly believes the Games will run as scheduled. Personally, I think IOC and the organisers should wait to mid-May, around two months before the Olympics begin, to announce if they postpone the Games as this situation changes daily. Lastly I would like to say, I do not think the situation has been stabilised worldwide when we come to mid-May, so I think the Tokyo 2020 will be Tokyo 2021. But it's easy for a young man like me with no power in the world of sports to come with my speculations about such a big decision and change them as I please. IOC are in completely different position. Bear in mind, most of the above are mainly own personal opionions and speculations, so take it all with a grain of salt, as I'm in no way trying to act like an expert on the matter.

I need to check my calendar to see if I have something that day.

UEG has cancelled the following events: European Championships in Women’s Artistic Gymnastics – Paris (FRA) – 30 April to 3 May 2020 European Championships in Trampoline, Tumbling and Double Mini-Trampoline – Gothenburg (SWE) – 7 to 10 May 2020 European Championships in Rhythmic Gymnastics – Kyiv (UKR) – 21 to 24 May 2020 European Championships in Men’s Artistic Gymnastics – Baku (AZE) – 27 to 31 May 2020 UEG have contacted FIG to find a solution as many of the events work as Olympic qualification events. https://www.ueg.org/news/covid-19-update-event-cancellations

Well beside stabbing @heywoodu, I feel much better. My symptoms have almost dissapared. I can now sleep normally. I haven't been checked, so I don't know if it was "just" a common flu or the Covid-19. Of couse, even though my symptoms are gone, I will still follow the guidelines of my country's health authorities and stay in home quarantine.

Who haven't yet voted, @dcro?

Somehow it feels very natural for me as a Dane to make a Swede angry. Also, I wonder why stabbing another juror is not a serious disqualification reason?

It is with deep sadness sir it had to come to this, but thou know too much.

Whom? That name doesn't ring any true. What has this sir you call "heywoodu" achieved to make his name known on this forum?

Only me and his Highness, the H-guy, know the true answer.

Well, it's 03:42 in @KingOfTheRhinos's time zone. Hopefully he will wake up early.

Tennis - Roland Garros/French Open has been rescheduled. https://www.rolandgarros.com/en-us/article/tournament-2020-coronavirus-rescheduled-2a-september-4-october So this would mean it would start only one week after U.S. Open.

"The UEFA EURO 2020 play-off matches and international friendlies, scheduled for the end of March, will now be played in the international window at the start of June, subject to a review of the situation". https://www.uefa.com/insideuefa/mediaservices/mediareleases/newsid=2641071.html

Bulgarian Eurovision fans:

Athletics - "Due to the growing number of countries affected by the COVID-19 virus, the first three meetings of the 2020 Wanda Diamond League season, scheduled for 17th April in Qatar, 9th and 16th May 2020 in China, cannot be held as planned. This decision was made in close consultation with organising committees, local authorities and sports governing bodies... The current plan is to stage the Shanghai event on 13th August. New dates for Doha and the second meeting in China remain to be announced. It could be that they will be held after the Wanda Diamond League Final in Zurich from 9th through 11th September, where the Diamond League Champions will be crowned, should the global situation allow". https://www.worldathletics.org/news/news/wanda-diamond-league-suspends-early-season-ev

The IFSC African Championships (March 19-22) in Cape Town (RSA) and the IFSC Oceania Championships (March 28-29) in Sydney (AUS) have been postponed. New dates of these two competitions have yet to be decided. https://www.ifsc-climbing.org/index.php/news/319-update-on-ifsc-competitions World Archery has suspended all international competitions until April 30th. https://worldarchery.org/news/178285/international-archery-suspended-until-30-april-due-covid-19-outbreak So, the Pan American Championships in Monterrey, Mexico (23-29 March) and the Oceania Championships in Fiji (5-9 April) will be postponed.

Update - Week 11 - March 9 to March 15 - 2020 Men's Javelin Throw +1 https://www.worldathletics.org/athletes/india/shivpal-singh-292417 Men's 20km Race Walk +1 https://www.worldathletics.org/athletes/ukraine/eduard-zabuzhenko-284296 Women's 400m +1 https://www.worldathletics.org/athletes/botswana/amantle-montsho-195952 Women's 20km Race Walk +1 https://www.worldathletics.org/athletes/greece/antigoni-drisbioti-273935 Qualified Quotas Overview Men (Total Quota: 510) Women (Total Quota: 488)