Olympic road race champion Greg Van Avermaat (CCC Team) has expressed disappointment at the postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but supports the IOC's decision to postpone the event by one year due to the Covid 19 coronavirus pandemic.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and IOC President Thomas Bach announced the decision in a conference call early Tuesday.

"The Olympics were a big goal for me this year, so it's obviously disappointing to postpone," said Van Avermaet, who won gold in Rio four years ago.

"But it is clear that health and safety are the biggest priorities at a time like this, and it would have been impossible to safely host an event like the Olympics, which attracts thousands of people from all over the world.

"Facing so many uncertainties in the coming months, I believe that postponing the Games was the only possible option.

Van Avermaat did not race the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and the Kuhne Brussel Kuhne for the last time. The Belgian rider was in good form at the beginning of February, with a strong ride in the summit finish of the Volta Ao Algarve.

Four years ago, Van Avermaat won gold on one of the toughest road race courses in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He and Denmark's Jakob Fuglsang caught lone leader Rafau Mayka in the closing stages of the 237.5 km race and pushed them apart.

The 34-year-old noted that the selection of the Belgian team would have been impossible had there been no races this spring and summer. He and Lemko Evenpoel are certain to be selected, but with four months left in the road race, the remaining positions have yet to be filled.

"Even the team selection process would have been impossible," said Lemko Evenpoel. Of course, the postponement means I'm another year older, which isn't ideal, but I'm sure I'll be as motivated next year as I've been in the past."

"I'm honored to be the Olympic Champion and now I can have a little more fun with the gold band on my CCC team jersey.

The Olympics are the latest in the sporting world due to the Covid 19 pandemic, following the Giro d'Italia, the NBA and MLB in the US, and numerous soccer competitions around the world including the English Premier League and Euro 2020 (an international tournament postponed to 2021). It is a high-profile postponement.