According to the Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, this summer’s Olympic Games have been postponed until 2021.
Abe said IOC president Thomas Bach has agreed “100 per cent” to his proposal of postponing the Tokyo Olympics for about one year until 2021 because of the coronavirus outbreak. The Games were due to begin on 24th July.
Abe’s office tweeted a picture of the PM talking to reporters after his telephone call with Bach, stating that the Games will move to next year.
After his telephone talks with IOC President Bach, PM Abe spoke to the press and explained that the two have agreed that the Tokyo Olympic Games would not be cancelled, and the games will be held by the summer of 2021. pic.twitter.com/ihe8To2g3R
— PM's Office of Japan (@JPN_PMO) March 24, 2020
The IOC later issued a statement confirming the postponement.
“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,” it said.
It also added that the Games will retain their 2020 title, and remain Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020.
Discovery Inc, which was due to broadcast the Games to much of Europe via Eurosport, also issued a statement saying it “fully supports” the decision to move the Games to 2021.
“Our essential planning and deliverables are complete and will now shift into next year. We will continue to develop our products and offerings to best serve our customers and marketing partners in 2021,” it added.