Tokyo Olympics Among Events Postponed
Tokyo 2020 to Become Tokyo 2021
In an official statement released Tuesday, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee issued the following joint statement announcing the postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics:
“The unprecedented and unpredictable spread of the outbreak has seen the situation in the rest of the world deteriorating. Yesterday, the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said that the COVID-19 pandemic is ‘accelerating’. There are more than 375,000 cases now recorded worldwide and in nearly every country, and their number is growing by the hour. In the present circumstances and based on the information provided by the WHO today, the IOC President and the Prime Minister of Japan have concluded that the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo must be rescheduled to a date beyond 2020 but not later than summer 2021, to safeguard the health of the athletes, everybody involved in the Olympic Games, and the international community.”
Canada and Australia had already dropped out of the “2020” Olympics due to concerns for their team members.
The Wide World of Sailing
The America’s Cup movers and shakers have canceled the AC World Series regatta in Portsmouth, UK, which had been scheduled to take place June 4-7. “This decision was not taken lightly and now allows all of the teams to focus their attention on their respective operations in their home ports in the coming months while planning logistics for their move to Auckland and subsequent development, testing and preparations for ACWS Auckland (17-20 December), PRADA Cup (15 Jan-22 Feb) and the America’s Cup Match presented by Prada (6-15 March),” reads a very long sentence in the announcement. “ORIGIN Sports Group will be contacting all ticket-holders with regard to the refund process.” Luna Rossa had already canceled the ACWS event in Sardinia.
The 2020 Newport to Bermuda Race has been canceled due to the pandemic. The 52nd Thrash to the Onion Patch will occur in June 2022. The 2020 race was to have started on June 19.
French Olympic Week will not be held on its original dates of April 18-25 in Hyères, France. Organizers hope to find alternate dates.
Organizers of the Superyacht Cup Palma have canceled the 2020 regatta scheduled for June 17-20 in line with recommendations from the Spanish and Balearic governments. The provisional dates for the 25th anniversary edition are June 23-26, 2021.
West Coast
The Yacht Racing Association of San Francisco Bay is keeping up with cancellations on a weekly basis. Check in here to find out the latest.
“We had to cancel our Regatta this year at Whiskeytown due to the virus,” writes Carla McNamara. “We plan to resume next year in 2021.” Whiskeytown Sailing Club hosts the regatta on Whiskeytown Lake west of Redding on Memorial Day Weekend. They’ve had a tough few years. Wildfires hit the area hard in 2018.
The Northwest Marine Trade Association and the Anacortes Chamber of Commerce have rescheduled the Anacortes Boat & Yacht Show at Cap Sante Marina, Anacortes, WA, from May 14-17 to June 25-28.
US Sailing Rolls with the Punches
US Sailing has just launched a new online video service, The Starboard Portal. Stay connected with sailing through new videos, live presentations and interactive discussions. Live presentations coming up in the next couple of days include:
- Thursday, March 26 — John Pearce: Squaring the Pyramid — 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT
- Thursday, March 26 — Jack Gierhart: Ask Me Anything Open Q&A — 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT
- Friday, March 27 — Betsy Alison: Tips on Engaging Adult Sailors at Your Yacht Club — 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT
“There have been a number of changes to the Safety at Sea programs offered by US Sailing. Some programs are available online while others provide the ability to re-certify,” writes Captain John of Sail Aweigh in Oceanside. “Due to cancellations or postponements of Safety at Sea courses during the current COVID-19 health crisis, any sailor that took either an Offshore Online or Offshore In-Person course in 2019 and will miss the 365-day window to take a Hands-On course for the International Offshore Certificate will have the 365-day window extended by 12 months.
“If you have taken a Two-day International (ISAF) Safety at Sea Course with Hands-on Training in the last 10 years, you can now re-certify by taking a Refresher Course, a one-day commitment.” Find a course near you at www.ussailing.org.