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USA Swimming Asks USOPC to Delay Tokyo Olympics 1 Year Amid COVID-19

Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

USA Swimming has called for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo to be postponed for 12 months because of the coronavirus outbreak.

The governing body tweeted a letter they sent to the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee asking them to support their request to move this summer's games:

USA Swimming @USASwimming

USA Swimming respectfully requests that the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee advocate for the postponement of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. https://t.co/q5bhUwi05q

In the letter, CEO Tim Hinchey stated training regimes have been compromised by the pandemic, and the health and safety of athletes must come first:

"Everyone has experienced unimaginable disruptions, mere months before the Olympic Games, which calls into question the authenticity of a level playing field for all.