Japan's Olympic Committee President Yasuhiro Yamashita says that the decision to postpone the Games was made earlier than he thought, but adds that a positive attitude and uniting together will help make an "amazing" Games in 2021.
SHOWS: TOKYO, JAPAN (MARCH 25, 2020) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1.
NATIONAL STADIUM / JAPANESE OLYMPIC COMMITTEE OFFICE NEXT TO JAPAN OLYMPIC MUSEUM 2.
VARIOUS OF JAPANESE OLYMPIC MUSEUM LOGO 3.
VARIOUS OF OLYMPICS RINGS LOGO OUTSIDE NATIONAL STADIUM 4.
JAPANESE OLYMPIC COMMITTEE PRESIDENT YASUHIRO YAMASHITA ARRIVING FOR MEDIA BRIEFING 5.
(SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) JAPANESE OLYMPIC COMMITTEE PRESIDENT, YASUHIRO YAMASHITA, SAYING: "To be honest, the decision was made earlier than I thought." 6.
BRIEFING UNDERWAY 7.
(SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) JAPANESE OLYMPIC COMMITTEE PRESIDENT, YASUHIRO YAMASHITA, SAYING: "Now that the decisions have been made, let's take this positively, reset our mindset and I want them (athletes) to prepare well for the 2021 Games." 8.
BRIEFING UNDERWAY 9.
(SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) JAPANESE OLYMPIC COMMITTEE PRESIDENT, YASUHIRO YAMASHITA, SAYING: "If it was two years (postponement) then there will be too much burden on the athletes and it would seem like everything would need to be reset.
Considering the situation, not just about the athletes, I think it has settled down at a good place." 10.
BRIEFING UNDERWAY 11.
(SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) JAPANESE OLYMPIC COMMITTEE PRESIDENT, YASUHIRO YAMASHITA, SAYING: "Let's unite together, keep our hearts close so that people around the world will say that the Olympics hosted in Japan is amazing and despite the postponement, they did really good work.
With the help of many people, we want to work hard to make the Olympics happen." 12.
YAMASHITA LEAVING STORY: The president of the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC), Yasuhiro Yamashita, said on Wednesday (March 25) he wanted to make the Games successful after an additional year of preparation, following its delay due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Now is the time to be positive and prepare for the Games now that their prospects have become clear, Yamashita told reporters.
"Let's unite together, keep our hearts close so that people around the world will say that the Olympics hosted in Japan is amazing and despite the postponement, they did really good work," he added.
"With the help of many people, we want to work hard to make the Olympics happen." The Japanese government and the International Olympic Committee made the decision on Tuesday (March 24) to postpone the Games.
It is the first time in history that the Olympics have been postponed.
It is not clear whether athletes who have already qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Games will automatically keep their berth for the Olympics held next year.
The JOC and other national Olympic committees will hold discussions with the IOC in the coming months to decide on the rules and regulations at this unprecedented time.
(Production: Jack Tarrant / Shiori Ozawa)
The president of the Japanese Olympic Committee says "we cannot help but to consider postponement" of the Tokyo 2020 Games.