Supporting our Team Visa athletes on the new road to Tokyo 2020

We are living in an uncertain and unprecedented time. The world is adjusting to profound changes to everyday life caused by the global coronavirus pandemic, and that includes competitive sports.  

The decision to postpone the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 to 2021 was a welcome decision from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Japan’s Prime Minister Abe. It reflects the Olympic values and demonstrates a commitment to prioritise the most important thing; the health and well-being of all those involved in the Games.

However, this decision isn’t without its challenges. This community of athletes and their teams sacrifice so much to get to these Games and this is a big part of their life’s ambition. Training, nutrition, psychology and travel to competitive events have been meticulously planned and scheduled to ensure peak performance in Tokyo this summer. All of a sudden, these goalposts moved and the road to Tokyo was unexpectedly lengthened by a year.

These changes are also true for our talented, diverse and global roster of 90+ Team Visa athletes.

For us, it was a quick and decisive moment for us to say “who are we and what do we stand for?  What can we do for our Team Visa athletes so they have one less thing to be concerned about amid all the uncertainty?” As a result, we are honouring the commitment we made to each and every one of them and offering our Team Visa athletes the opportunity to extend their relationship with us into 2021.

For Tokyo 2020, we have one of the greatest rosters we have ever had. This programme is a point of pride for Visa and we will continue to spotlight these incredible talented athletes, ensuring we are offering our support as they need through shifting their training and preparation schedules into next year.

Since 2000, we have supported and celebrated 500+ Olympic and Paralympic Games hopefuls through Team Visa and have provided tools and resources to succeed in sport and daily life. The recent postponement does not change this commitment.

Visa’s relationship and heritage with the Olympic Movement means we understand the extended network that supports every individual athlete. From nutritionists and physiotherapists, to family and friends. We’re proud to continue to support our Team Visa athletes as they pursue our Olympic dreams for the Tokyo games.