2020 Olympics Officially Postponed Amid Coronavirus Pandemic
The 2020 Olympics have officially been postponed due to COVID-19, a.k.a. the novel coronavirus.
On Monday (March 23), the official website for the games posted a new statement:
"In light of this situation, Tokyo 2020 held an urgent video conference with IOC President Bach last night, during which we agreed to proceed with detailed discussions of different scenarios, including postponement of the Games, in full coordination with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the Government of Japan, relevant Japanese authorities, international sport federations and National Olympic Committees," the press release read.
“We must be more united than ever in our response. Regardless, what is important now is that the world come together to overcome this crisis," the statement continued, before ending with a quote from IOC president Thomas Bach. "[We] wish that... the Olympic flame will be a light at the end of this tunnel."
The 2020 Summer Olympics, which were scheduled to take place in Tokyo, Japan, were set to begin on Friday, July 24 and end on Sunday, August 9. However, following the coronavirus outbreak, which is affecting 195 countries, it doesn't look like they'll be happening anytime soon.
Dick Pound, a longtime IOC member, told USA Today Sports that the Olympics will most likely be pushed to 2021. “It will come in stages,” he said. “We will postpone this and begin to deal with all the ramifications of moving this, which are immense.”
The Olympics are the latest sporting event to be impacted by COVID-19. You can check out all the films, events, festivals and concerts that were cancelled or postponed due to the virus here.