The International Olympic Committee and the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, collectively decided to reschedule the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo to 2021.
The committees had a conference call on Wednesday morning to discuss the effects of COVID-19 on the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
President of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach and Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made it clear that they are concerned about the COVID-19 pandemic and what effect it has on the global athletes’ preparations for the Olympics.
The Olympic Games will be rescheduled to no later than summer 2021 to safeguard the health of participating athletes, the international Olympic community and everybody involved in the organising of the games.
“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.”
