USATF bats for postponement of 2020 Tokyo Olympics

The US Track and Field (USATF) has called for the postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as COVID-19 continues to rage.

In a letter posted on the USATF's official Twitter handle on Saturday, USATF CEO Max Siegel has urged the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) to call on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to postpone the summer Olympic.

"Our goal remains to achieve athletic excellence during the Olympic Games, but not at the expense of the safety and well-being of our athletes," said Siegel in the letter.

"The alternative of moving forward in light of the current global situation would not be in the best interest of our athletes (as difficult as that decision might be)," he added.

"We urge the USOPC, as a leader within the Olympic Movement, to use its voice and speak up for the athletes," the letter further read.

Earlier, the USA Swimming has urged the USOPC to postpone the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympics amid the spread of coronavirus pandemic

The US had clinched 33 medals in swimming in the Rio Olympic 2016.

The Tokyo Olympic Games are slated to be held from July 24 to August 9. However, many athletes have raised concerns over the quadrennial event taking place despite the spread of the deadly virus.

On Tuesday, the IOC had said that they are 'fully committed' to the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympic and added that 'there is no need for any drastic decisions at this stage' despite coronavirus outbreak.

"The IOC remains fully committed to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, and with more than four months to go before the Games there is no need for any drastic decisions at this stage, and any speculation at this moment would be counter-productive," IOC had said in a statement.