For the first time in the 124-year history of the competition, the 2020 Summer Olympics have been postponed.
The International Olympic Committee has agreed “100%” to a proposal from the organizing committee to push the start of the Games to 2021 to protect everyone from COVID-19.
Shintaro Ishihara is chair of the organizing committee and through a translator he said “I am sorry about it. I regret it. And than in a way it’s a sigh of relief. Both.”
He stressed “This could be a good pretext for us to go forward and we can prepare for an even better Olympic and Paralympic Games than what we had planned for this year.”
Ishihara stated a lot of thought went behind the decision, noting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and IOC President Thomas Bach held a conference call and discussed in length outstanding questions and concerns.
He says it was a mutual decision that gave their committee some direction.
A joint statement states the postponement will safeguard the health of athletes and everybody involved in the Olympic Games and the International community.
The leaders agreed that the Olympic Games in Tokyo could stand as a beacon of hope to the world during these troubled times and 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.
The Olympics were completely cancelled during periods of World War, in 1916, 1940 and 1944, but never suspended or postponed.
The 2020 Games were scheduled to start four months to the day.
