The head of the Spanish Football Association (RFEF), Luis Rubiales, has joined the voices asking for the Tokyo Olympics to be postponed until 2021 in the light of the coronavirus crisis.
The International Olympic Committee has not agreed to postpone the Olympics, due to take place this summer in Tokyo, despite almost all other sports being either cancelled or postponed in the midst of the pandemic.
Spain is under a strict lockdown at the moment in an effort to stop the spread of the virus and football is suspended in the country; something Rubiales asked IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch to do with the Olympics.
"The president of the RFEF, Luis Rubiales, transmitted the request for postponement of the next Olympic Games to Juan Antonio Samaranch,” says an RFEF statement.
“He did so at the meeting held with other Spanish sports federations and to which he was called by the president of the COE [the Spanish Olympic Commission], Alejandro Blanco
“The president of Spanish football asked that all efforts be focused on supporting our Administration in the fight against COVID-19. At this time, health must prevail over any other issue and we must be on the side of our Government.
"Sport is our reason for being, but now it must be in the background. We continue to work for football and solutions for this sector, however, now the duty as Spaniards is to stay united and suspend all sports events, as this Federation did in regard to those competitions over which it has oversight."
Spain has seen 1756 people die from the Covid-19 outbreak, according to Worldometer, with more than 28000 confirmed cases in the country.
After urging Samaranch to take action, Rubiales went on to offer the RFEF’s sympathies to those who have lost loved ones and thanks and encouragement to those on the front lines combating the disease.
"We show our pain for the victims of this pandemic, our condolences to their families, our encouragement for the health workers and the State Security Forces and all those who are maintaining public services.
“We remain at the disposal of the authorities and we offer ourselves to collaborate in any measures that may be considered.”