The 2020 Olympics in Tokyo has been postponed due to coronavirus by request of the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
The world’s biggest sporting event is due to begin on July 24 in the Japanese capital and run until August 9, though such a time frame is no longer considered viable due to the ongoing global Covid-19 pandemic that has led to more than 15,000 deaths worldwide in addition to seeing strict restrictions placed on every day life in several countries and sporting competitions grind to a halt.
More than 600,000 international visitors were initially expected to travel to Tokyo for the Olympics.
The announcement to postpone was communicated on Tuesday following a conference call involving Abe and International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach.
The 2020 Olympics in Tokyo has been postponed due to coronavirus by request of the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
The world’s biggest sporting event is due to begin on July 24 in the Japanese capital and run until August 9, though such a time frame is no longer considered viable due to the ongoing global Covid-19 pandemic that has led to more than 15,000 deaths worldwide in addition to seeing strict restrictions placed on every day life in several countries and sporting competitions grind to a halt.
More than 600,000 international visitors were initially expected to travel to Tokyo for the Olympics.
The announcement to postpone was communicated on Tuesday following a conference call involving Abe and International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach.
World Athletics president Seb Coe had also written to IOC counterpart Bach urging the postponement of the Games.
Japanese Prime Minister Abe suggested for the first time in parliament on Monday that the Olympics may need to be postponed, stating that the world is currently “not in such a condition” for the event to take place at this point in time.
Later on Monday, IOC member Dick Pound said that the decision to postpone had already been made, with the specific parameters yet to be ironed out.
Source: English Standard
