If Olympics Don't Happen in 2021, They Could Be Canceled
The IOC chief Thomas Bach says Tokyo Olympics will be canceled if they can’t be held in 2021. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told Bach that the organization and scheduling conflicts that would arise from postponing the Olympics again past their current date of July-August 2021 would make it nearly impossible to have the summer games at all.
The 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics were postponed due to concerns over the coronavirus pandemic, as it would be impossible to gather the thousands and thousands of fans, athletes, reporters, and others in one place for two weeks.
There are still concerns over whether or not the pandemic will still be an issue when the summer of 2021 rolls around, and it is still being determined whether or not a vaccine will be mandatory in order for the event to take place as currently scheduled.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director general of the World Health Organization, says it is possible but "not easy" for 11,000 athletes from more than 200 teams to come together in Tokyo.
"We are relying on the advice of the World Health Organization,” Bach said. “We have established one principle: to organize these Games in a safe environment for all the participants. Nobody knows what the world will look like in one year, in two months."
The 2021 Tokyo Olympics are now slated to be held from July 24 to Aug. 9.
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