2020 Summer Olympics officially postponed
It's official!
According to the International Olympic Committee, the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics have officially been postponed amidst COVID-19, the novel coronavirus, global pandemic.
This decision comes after mounting pressure from many of the nations' governing bodies, who some flat out refused to compete if the Olympics were to take place as scheduled.
Both Canada and Australia issued statements last week saying that there athletes would not be competing in the 2020 Olympics if they were to remain as scheduled for July of this year.
The United States Olympic Committee also issued similar sentiments, stating it believed that the Olympics should be postponed until it becomes safer for athletes and fans to enjoy the experience.
The decision became official when Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe held a conference call with the IOC on Tuesday, proposing that the games be held sometime in 2021.
The IOC then issues the following statement:
"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."
This is a very rare occasion as it's the first time the modern-day Olympics have ever been postponed. The Olympics have been canceled three times since its inception, not taking place in 1916, 1940 and 1944 — all of which coincide with World War I and World War II.
Before reaching a decision, there were discussions about postponing the Olympics until fall of 2020, but it remained uncertain as to whether or not COVID-19 would be contained by then and if i would be safe. The IOC ultimately decided that moving the Games to the summer of 2021 would be a fat better and safer solution.