Tokyo Olympics postponed to 2021 due to coronavirus

The organizers of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games have postponed the summer event by one year due to the coronavirus crisis.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday.

“In the present circumstances and based on the information provided by the World Health Organisation 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 IOC statement said.

“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.”

Some days ago, the IOC had insisted they were “fully committed” to ensuring the games go ahead as planned.

But there have been criticisms from key figures among athletics, while Canada and Australia announced it will not be participating in the summer event.