Olympics

Sam Clayton, Jr. -- who was a part of the famous '88 Jamaican bobsled team that inspired the movie "Cool Runnings" -- has died after battling COVID-19.

He was only 58.

Clayton was NOT in the sled that crashed at the 1988 Winter Olympics -- but he was a key member of the team.

In fact, teammate Devon Harris told local outlets in Jamaica, Clayton was an "integral part" of the team.

"I am saddened by the news of the passing of my teammate Samuel Clayton," Harris said.

"Although he never made the Olympic team Sammy was an integral part of the Jamaica bobsled team."

"He was among the very first four selected to spearhead Jamaica's entrance into winter sports and the Winter Olympics."

"He was an amazing human being who will be sadly missed.

After his athletic career ended, Clayton got heavy into music -- and later became the sound engineer for the U.K. band Steel Pulse.

In fact, it was Steel Pulse that confirmed his death to the NY Times -- saying Clayton died on March 31 in Kingston from coronavirus.

The CEO of the Tokyo Olympics is keeping it real -- maybe too real -- saying there's a serious possibility the Games will NOT go down in 2021, as scheduled.

Long story short ... Tokyo organizing committee CEO Toshiro Muto says it's impossible to predict where the world will be with the COVID-19 pandemic in July 2021, when the Games were rescheduled to begin.

"I don't think anyone would be able to say if it is going to be possible to get it under control by next July or not," Muto said ... ''We're certainly are not in a position to give you a clear answer."

"We have made the decision to postpone the games by one year. So this means that all we can do is work hard to prepare for the games."

"We sincerely hope that come next year mankind will manage to overcome the coronavirus crisis.''

Muto was asked if there's a Plan B if the rescheduled Games can't go on ... and his response was not super encouraging.

"Rather than think about alternatives plans ... Mankind should bring together all of its technology and wisdom to work hard so they can development treatments, medicines and vaccines.''

Classic deflection -- but no shade, we get it.

Muto was also asked if the 2020 Games had pandemic insurance (like Wimbledon) to cover the costs of the event in case it's ultimately canceled.

It's official ... the Tokyo Olympics have a new start date -- July 23, 2021.

The International Olympic Committee -- along with officials in Japan -- made the announcement together Monday morning ... deciding it was best to wait a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Games will run from July 23 to August 8.

Officials say there were 3 major considerations that guided their decision:

1. To protect the health of the athletes and everyone involved, and to support the containment of the COVID-19 virus.

2. To safeguard the interests of the athletes and of Olympic sport.

3. The global international sports calendar.

The IOC says the new dates give everyone "maximum time to deal with the constantly changing landscape and the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic."

IOC President Thomas Bach added, "With this announcement, I am confident that, working together with the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the Japanese Government and all our stakeholders, we can master this unprecedented challenge. Humankind currently finds itself in a dark tunnel."

"These Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 can be a light at the end of this tunnel.”

The IOC also noted that "all athletes already qualified and quota places already assigned for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 will remain unchanged."

In other words, athletes who already qualified for 2020 are automatically good to go in 2021.

Stay healthy out there.

You know it's real when the signs come down ...

Workers in Japan began taking down banners for the Olympic torch relay Thursday morning -- and it's still unclear when they'll go back up!

As we previously reported, Olympic officials -- along with Japan prime minister Shinzo Abe -- decided to finally postpone the 2020 Tokyo Games due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The torch relay event -- set to begin in Fukushima -- was supposed to kick off a series of high profile events in a ramp-up to the Games, originally set to begin in July.

But, that's been scrapped -- and while organizers try to figure out a new date for the Games, the torch will remain on display in Japan in a lantern.

The Flame was first lit in Olympia, Greece on March 12 in a small, fan-less ceremony -- before the Games were officially postponed. It was then flown to Japan.

The worst part about the Olympics being postponed?? The world has to wait another year to see the viral Tongan flag guy again. But, don't worry!! He's got a solution ...

SHIRTLESS WORKOUT VIDS!!!

Of course, skier Pita Taufatofua stole everyone's hearts at the 2016 Games opening ceremony with his chiseled, oiled body -- a Tongan tradition.

Being the caring, loving people we are over here at TMZ Sports ... we figured we'd still give y'all a bit of Pita content now that the 2020 games have moved to 2021.

As it turns out, fans can still get their Pita fix during the delay ... 'cause Taufatofua is hosting *educational* workouts while everyone's home self-quarantined ... and it's great.

"What we're doing at the moment on the Olympic Channel Instagram page, is we're doing a live workout video every night of the week," Pita tells us. "So, everyone will be able to see exactly what it is we're working on."

Brilliant idea ... props to whoever made this happen!!!

Olympic pole-vaulter Alysha Newman says there's a silver lining to the coronavirus pandemic -- yeah, it sucks that the Games are postponed, but it's uniting the world like never before.

The 25-year-old Canadian -- who competed at the '16 Games -- had been hardcore training for Tokyo 2020 until COVID-19 stopped the sports world in its tracks.

But Newman says she's trying to focus on the positive -- and spelled it out to TMZ Sports.

"I'm going to get a whole other year of training and competition under my belt. Another year of growth as a person," Newman says.

"For me, it's been extremely humbling. For me, there is no wealth, no race, no religion, no 'who you know' that can get you on the other side of it. It's literally an entire world coming together and doing the right thing so we can go back to living reality."

"I've never seen that since I have been living. I'm 25 years old, I have never seen an entire world come together and really, really do what we can ... because it's us. Literally the world against this coronavirus and we have to remember that."

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics will NOT go down as scheduled on July 24, an IOC official just announced.

International's Olympic Committee member Dick Pound says that they have officially decided to postpone the games ... in light of the COVID-19 global pandemic.

“On the basis of the information the IOC has, postponement has been decided,” Pound told USA Today.

“The parameters going forward have not been determined, but the Games are not going to start on July 24, that much I know.”

It's unclear when officials will reschedule the games.

“We will postpone this and begin to deal with all the ramifications of moving this, which are immense,” Pound says.

The move should surprise absolutely nobody ... the globe has been paralyzed by COVID-19, with major cities and even countries shutting down over fears of spreading the lethal virus.

IOC officials tried their best to keep the games on ... but pressure from critics clearly grew too heavy for them to move forward with the July games as planned.

Remember, both Canada AND Australia said they would NOT send players to Tokyo to compete if the games were not postponed.

"With COVID-19 and the associated risks, it is not safe for our athletes, and the health and safety of their families and the broader Canadian community for athletes to continue training towards these Games," Canadian Olympic officials said in a statement.

"Containing the virus must be our paramount concern. We are in the midst of a global health crisis that is far more significant than sport."

President Donald Trump has suggested officials reschedule the Summer Games next year.

Canada ain't playin' around ... demanding officials postpone the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo for a year -- or they will NOT compete.

The Canadian Olympic Committee and the Canadian Paralympic Committee have fired off their ultimatum to the International Olympic Committee ... saying they have "made the difficult decision to not send Canadian teams to the Olympic and Paralympic Games in the summer of 2020."

The Canadians feel the coronavirus pandemic isn't just a risk to athletes -- but families and spectators as well.

"With COVID-19 and the associated risks, it is not safe for our athletes, and the health and safety of their families and the broader Canadian community for athletes to continue training towards these Games," the joint statement read.

"Containing the virus must be our paramount concern. We are in the midst of a global health crisis that is far more significant than sport."

As we previously reported, multiple Team USA sports -- including Gymnastics and Swimming -- feel the same way. They are also calling for the IOC to postpone the games.

However, the IOC says they're giving themselves 4 weeks to analyze the situation before making a final decision.

The president of Team USA Swimming has fired off a letter to the head of the U.S. Olympic Committee strongly urging for the 2020 Games to be postponed 1 year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Tim Hinchey -- President and CEO of USA Swimming -- feels it's unfair to force athletes to prepare for Tokyo 2020 while they're trying to follow government mandates urging them to quarantine and stay out of public places.

As we previously reported, Olympic training pools around the country have been shut down to protect the athletes from exposure to the COVID-19 virus ... leaving many swimmers without a place to work out while they prep for the biggest competition of their lives.

So, Hinchey sent a letter to Sarah Hirshland -- CEO of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee -- urging her to push for a 1-year postponement.

"As this global pandemic has grown, we have watched our athletes’ worlds be turned upside down and watched them struggle to find ways to continue to prepare and train – many for the biggest competitive opportunity of their lives."

"Our world class swimmers are always willing to race anyone, anytime and anywhere; however, pressing forward amidst the global health crisis this summer is not the answer."

"The right and responsible thing to do is to prioritize everyone’s health and safety and appropriately recognize the toll this global pandemic is taking on athletic preparations," Hinchey wrote.

"It has transcended borders and wreaked havoc on entire populations, including those of our respected competitors. Everyone has experienced unimaginable disruptions, mere months before the Olympic Games, which calls into question the authenticity of a level playing field for all."

Hinchey added ... "Our athletes are under tremendous pressure, stress and anxiety, and their mental health and wellness should be among the highest priorities."

"It is with the burden of these serious concerns that we respectfully request that the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee advocate for the postponement of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 by one year."

So far, Tokyo 2020 organizers are adamant the event will take place as scheduled in July 2020 -- and they're currently holding torch lighting ceremonies in Japan.

The U.S. Olympic Committee has shut down the Olympic Training Center in Colorado due to the coronavirus scare, TMZ Sports has learned ... shutting out American gymnasts from prepping for Tokyo.

With Los Angeles in lockdown mode and other cities clamping down fast -- we reached out to multiple Team USA Olympic training squads to find out if and how they'll continue to train athletes with the Games just months away.

A rep for USA Gymnastics tells us ... "As of Wednesday March 18, all training venues at the U.S. Olympic Training Center, including the gymnastics facility, were closed for at least the next 30 days."

"We understand the significant impact this has on our National Team athletes and their training and are working with athletes and their coaches to find safe alternative solutions for our athletes to train."

As for Team USA Swimming ... they've got big problems too -- and have shut down their pools out of an abundance of caution.

While experts say pool cleaning chemicals will kill the coronavirus, USA Swimming officials tell us there are other reasons they can't allow swimmers to continue their training.

"There is no evidence that COVID-19 can be spread to humans through the use of pools and hot tubs," a rep tells us.

"But if you have several athletes swimming and training in the same lane and all coming up for air in close quarters at the wall there’s a possibility of transmission."

Team USA Volleyball has also shut down their training centers in Anaheim and Torrance -- but tell us, "Our athletes are finding ways to train at their homes."

Team USA Track tells us ... "Athletes face challenges as they train all over the country in both private and public facilities. Local health authorities have shut down many (or most) of these facilities."

Another bizarre (yet necessary) scene ... the Olympic Torch Handover ceremony went down in Athens, Greece on Thursday -- with ZERO fans allowed at Panathenaic Stadium.

In fact, Japan reportedly contacted little-known former Olympic swimmer Naoko Imoto to represent the country ... since the athlete was already living in Greece.

The original plan was to have a massive star-studded event for the flame-passing tradition -- but with the coronavirus pandemic in full swing, organizers wanted as few people involved as possible.

So, Japan contacted former Olympic swimmer Naoko Imoto, who was already living in Greece, to represent the host country. The 43-year-old agreed and she was all smiles on Thursday.

There were flags, there was a stage -- but absolutely NO fans at the venue. Super weird.

FYI, Naoko swam in the 800-meter relay in the '96 Games in Atlanta.

Now, the flame will be transported from Athens to Japan, for another scaled-down ceremony at a military base on Friday.

Japan insists the 2020 Tokyo Games will go on as planned -- despite the fact most of the world is in quarantine.