The Postponement of the 2020 Olympics

As expected, along with many other significant sporting events, the Tokyo 2020 Olympics has been cancelled for the duration of this year. It was cancelled earlier this year, at the end of March, the first time - outside of wartime - in all of Olympics history that the event was postponed. The only other times the event was cancelled was during the times of World War I & World War II.

Thomas Bach, the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), believes that the Olympic Games now represent a “light at the end of this tunnel”, as the IOC was able to salvage the event and set a new date for it: July 23, 2021, running until August 8, 2021. As a result, the Paralympic Games has also shifted dates, now planned for August 24 until September 5, 2021. Andrew Parsons, president of the International Paralympic Committee states, “The new dates provide certainty for the athletes, reassurance for the stakeholders and something to look forward to for the whole world.” His last statement is especially important considering the circumstances that surround us; it is imperative that there is an event occurring in this new world that could divert our attention from the pandemic and allow us to enjoy life and sports once again.

In a statement sent on March 24, the IOC states, “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." Hopefully, the newly scheduled 2021 Olympics will bring joy to those who view and those who compete, and we can once again return to a less restricted time in our lives.