Dick Pound, a veteran member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), has decreed that the 2020 Olympics will be postponed in response to the covid-19 pandemic, according to a report by USA Today. “The parameters going forward have not been determined,” he said, “but the Games are not going to start on July 24, that much I know.” Pound has not yet announced how the postponement will affect broadcast deals and various sport seasons, but they anticipate the Olympic games will not be held until 2021. Does this mean that U.S women’s soccer star Alex Morgan, who was last seen running soccer drills at seven months pregnant, will eventually get to compete for another gold medal? Maybe. With this much up in the air, anything can happen.
This decision comes after the Olympic committees of Canada, Australia, Germany, Norway, and Brazil said they would not send athletes to Japan unless the Games were postponed. Luckily, the hero that is Dick Pound heard the cries of athletes across the globe and decided to act. It’s safe to say that in these uncertain times, what we all need is a Dick Pound. Someone to speak reason and to take into consideration the needs of others ahead of the desires of capitalism. After all, the Olympics are supposed to be about unity through shared experience and choosing not to reinfect the whole earth is peak unity if I’ve ever seen it. Dick Pound isn’t just the hero we deserve—Dick Pound is the hero we want.
