Tokyo Olympics Officially Postponed Until 2021By IOC

With growing health concerns around the world, there were questions as to what fans can expect for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Now there are some answers to those questions, as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has addressed the situation.

The Tokyo Olympics were expected to go down this summer. However that all began to change, as sporting events around the world began to be shut down. Regardless, there had been no official confirmation that there would be changes to the scheduled events.

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That has all changed now, as the IOC, in conjunction with Japan, has decided to postpone the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. According to a statement from the IOC President Thomas Bach, as well as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the event will be pushed back until summer 2021, at the latest.

“In the present circumstances and based on the information provided by the WHO today, the IOC President and the Prime Minister of Japan have concluded that the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo must be rescheduled to a date beyond 2020 but not later than summer 2021, to safeguard the health of the athletes, everybody involved in the Olympic Games and the international community.

The leaders agreed that the Olympic Games in Tokyo could stand as a beacon of hope to the world during these troubled times and that the Olympic flame could become the light at the end of the tunnel in which the world finds itself at present. Therefore, it was agreed that the Olympic flame will stay in Japan. It was also agreed that the Games will keep the name Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020.”

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Joint Statement from the International Olympic Committee and the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee The President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach, and the Prime Minister of Japan, Abe Shinzo, held a conference call this morning to discuss the constantly changing environment with regard to COVID-19 and the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. President Bach and Prime Minister Abe expressed their shared concern about the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, and what it is doing to people’s lives and the significant impact it is having on global athletes’ preparations for the Games. In a very friendly and constructive meeting, the two leaders praised the work of the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee and noted the great progress being made in Japan to fight against COVID-19. The unprecedented and unpredictable spread of the outbreak has seen the situation in the rest of the world deteriorating. Yesterday, the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said that the COVID-19 pandemic is "accelerating". There are more than 375,000 cases now recorded worldwide and in nearly every country, and their number is growing by the hour. In the present circumstances and based on the information provided by the WHO today, the IOC President and the Prime Minister of Japan have concluded that the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo must be rescheduled to a date beyond 2020 but not later than summer 2021, to safeguard the health of the athletes, everybody involved in the Olympic Games and the international community. The leaders agreed that the Olympic Games in Tokyo could stand as a beacon of hope to the world during these troubled times and that the Olympic flame could become the light at the end of the tunnel in which the world finds itself at present. Therefore, it was agreed that the Olympic flame will stay in Japan. It was also agreed that the Games will keep the name Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020.

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Considering the fact that places like Canada had said that they would not be sending athletes, even if the Tokyo Olympics were to continue, this was the right decision. Although there are still a ton of unanswered questions, pertaining to the details of the event. Regardless, this is sure to ease some tensions between the competitors, knowing that they do not need to worry about training during these times.