Tokyo Olympics Postponed to 2021 Due to Coronavirus Pandemic Japan’s prime minister, Shinzo Abe, and the International Olympic Committee president, Thomas Bach, met to discuss how to handle the uncertainty surrounding the games.
Both officials reportedly agreed that canceling the games was not an option, but that the event must be postponed.
Both the Olympics and Paralympic Games will be held in the summer of 2021, but will retain the 2020 branding.
The IOC, along with the Tokyo organizing committee and the Japanese government, had initially resisted postponing the games.
Calls from athletes, nations and olympic committees around the world grew to a roar, leading to the ultimate decision.
The postponement will prove a financial blow to Japan, who are estimated to lose out on billions in domestic and inbound consumption.
Despite the postponement, the leaders said the games could still stand “as a beacon of hope to the world during these troubled times.”
