The New Zealand Cycling Federation has expressed support for the decision by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday to postpone the 2020 Olympic Games until summer 2021 due to the global coronavirus crisis.

A statement from Cycling NZ released Wednesday said that while the country's athletes and staff were "naturally very disappointed," the federation had given its support to the decision as "the only fair and sensible course of action."

Jack Landry, CEO of Cycling New Zealand, said that the coaches and staff leading the High Performance Unit will be speaking to athletes and other staff in the coming days and weeks to answer questions and offer advice on protecting the health and welfare of the athletes He stated.

"We are in unprecedented times as a global family, and while we naturally sympathize with the athletes and staff who were beginning final preparations for Tokyo, we feel that (the postponement) was the right and appropriate action," Landry said in a statement.

"Our focus now is on the health and well-being of the athletes, staff, and their families, as well as the wider cycling community as the world comes together to overcome this pandemic. [Behind the scenes, Cycling New Zealand is working on a number of crisis management plans, and once we are all safe and healthy again, we will no doubt hear more from the Olympics, Paralympics, and related organizations about the way forward," Landry said.