NBA to cut season to allow players to compete in Tokyo: IOC

[November 12, 2020]    BERLIN (Reuters) - Team owners and the NBA players' association have agreed on a shortened season to allow players from the world's best league to compete in next year's Tokyo Olympic Games, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said on Wednesday.

Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) attends an interview after the decision to postpone the Tokyo 2020 because of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Lausanne, Switzerland, March 25, 2020. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

"The owners of NBA teams have agreed with the players' association on an early and shortened NBA season starting on Dec. 22," Bach told a news conference.

"This will allow the best basketball players to play at the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

"This is what the players want. This is what the movement wants and may National Olympic Committees want very much. It is excellent news."

The Tokyo Games were due to be held in 2020 but were postponed to start in July 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann, editing by Ed Osmond)

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