Amidst the global Covid-19 outbreak, there have been calls to postpone the Tokyo 2020 Olympics to the summer of 2021, with numerous large-scale events already cancelled worldwide.

Both Australia and Canada have announced that they were pulling out of the Olympics.

However, in a media statement shared with Mothership, the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) declined to say whether it would support such a move, and said that it will continue to "monitor the situation very closely".

IOC will take four weeks to consider postponing the Olympics

According to a SNOC spokesperson, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has consulted their stakeholders on the development of the Olympic Games last week, and has shared that it will step up on the scenario planning for the Tokyo Games.

Associated Press reported that the IOC will take up to four weeks to consider postponing the Olympics, amidst growing criticism of its handling of the Covid-19 crisis.

"This is an unprecedented situation for the whole world. We remain in solidarity with our stakeholders, including our athletes, our National Sports Associations (NSAs), the IOC and the Singapore government, in their efforts to contain the virus and protect the community," said SNOC.

The organisation also said that it will continue to work with stakeholders to safeguard the interests of its athletes and officials as they pursue their Olympic aspirations.

Australia and Canada pulling out of the Olympics

On March 23, both Australia and Canada announced that they will pull out of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, due to the global Covid-19 outbreak, according to Axios.

These announcements came a day after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that the Olympics may have to be postponed if it cannot be run in "complete form", due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

According to The Japan Times, this was the first time that Abe said that postponing the Olympics is an option.

Previously, on March 14, he resisted pressure for changes to the Olympics schedule, and pledged that Japan would host the games as planned, according to Al Jazeera.

He also said that he had no immediate intention to declare a state of emergency over the virus outbreak.

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