As the chaos caused by coronavirus continues, we now have confirmation that the 2020 Summer Olympic Games has been postponed. The Olympic Games will now likely take place next year in 2021. Of course, this decision comes in response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic that has negatively impacted various industries and mass events across the globe.
With the Olympics opening ceremonies scheduled to begin on July 24, 2020, in Tokyo, the upcoming Olympic Games were, as usual, set to feature some of the greatest athletes from around the world competing in dozens of athletic events.
In a joint statement from the International Olympic Committee and the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, it was decided that due to the outbreak of COVID-19, the global event must be postponed in the name of public health and safety.
"In the present circumstances and based on the information provided by the WHO 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 statement also looked to the future, standing as a reminder of the importance of the Olympic Games and how they could very well be the exact thing the world needs once we have emerged on the other side of this current global crisis.
"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."
As COVID-19 began to spread around the world earlier this year, the International Olympic Committee insisted that the event would go on as planned and that the committee would not consider postponing or canceling the event. The committee received much criticism for this decision, with several countries insisting that amid the concerns over coronavirus that the Games must be postponed. Eventually, the IOC buckled, stating that postponement was a possibility and that a decision would be made in the coming weeks. Canada then stated that they would be sending any athletes to the Games unless the event was moved to a later date.
The news that the Olympic Games will be postponed follows several announcements regarding a variety of other large-scale events, including major music and cultural events, all of which have been pushed back to ensure that social distancing and self-isolation are adhered to. Hollywood meanwhile remains on pause doe to the coronavirus outbreak, with various high-profile releases being delayed, whilst production and filming for ongoing projects have all but ceased. This comes to us from The official website of the Olympic Games.