17 March 2020, AFTNN // PRNEWSGIG – The IOC Boxing Task Force (BTF) has announced that the boxing Road to Tokyo European Qualifier in London and subsequent qualifiers worldwide scheduled to take place in May are to be suspended until further notice.
The European qualifier, which started on 14 March and was planned to run until 24 March, will be closed after today’s evening session.
Safeguarding the well-being of the athletes, officials and all other participants is a top priority for the BTF. Since the preparation phase of the event, the BTF has been working in close cooperation with the Local Organising Committee (LOC) – the delivery body of the competition – as well as its stakeholders, its own medical experts and the national health authorities, to set up the necessary precautionary measures.
The BTF eventually took the decision to suspend the event today, amid increasing global travel restrictions and quarantine measures, in order to allow the participants from over 60 countries to adjust their travel plans and return home.
The BTF will continue to evaluate the situation daily, aiming to complete the distribution of the remaining Tokyo 2020 boxing quota places in May and June. The BTF’s priority remains the qualification of athletes on the field of play, and it will inform all stakeholders as soon as more information is available.
At the same time, the IOC is fully committed to the success of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, as was recently outlined again in the following statement.
The BTF would like to thank the host nations, the organising committees and all the participants involved for their support and tremendous efforts in dealing with this extraordinary situation.
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