For the first time in the history of Olympics, this year Olympics has been postpone to Summer 2021; this was announced today by the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe and International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach . The duo agreed to postpone this year’s Olympic Games in Tokyo until no later than the summer of 2021.
In a statement, the IOC said Abe and Bach concluded that the Games must be rescheduled to a date beyond 2020 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,” an IOC statement reads.
“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.”
Abe and Bach were joined on the conference call by Tokyo 2020 President Yoshirō Mori, Japan’s Olympic Minister Seiko Hashimoto, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, IOC Coordination Commission chair John Coates, IOC director general Christophe De Kepper and the IOC Olympic Games executive director Christophe Dubi.
“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,” the IOC statement adds.
“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.”
