Tokyo Olympics, which were scheduled to begin on 24 July 2020, have been postponed to a date “no later than summer 2021” due to the coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak, amid mounting pressure from athletes and various stakeholders.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Tuesday “in the present circumstances and based on the information provided by the WHO, 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.”
The IOC explained that the decision came to safeguard the health of the athletes, everybody involved in the Olympic Games and the international community.
Although several Olympic Games have been cancelled during the first and Second World War in 1916, 1940, and 1944, this is the first time the games would be postponed.
