Tokyo 2020 Olympics Japan Agrees to Postpone Games ... to Summer 2021
UPDATE
10:20 AM PT -- 3/24 -- The Olympic torch relay has also been postponed due to the postponement of the 2020 games ... and the torch will be displayed in Fukushima, according to Yoshiro Mori.
UPDATE
5:36 AM PT -- Shinzo Abe -- the Prime Minister of Japan -- has reached an agreement with the IOC to postpone the Games to Summer 2021, the first time EVER the Games will be postponed.
UPDATE
Abe spoke with IOC President Thomas Bach and proposed the postponement.
UPDATE
Abe confirmed the news with reporters early Tuesday morning.
The 2020 Tokyo Olympics will NOT go down as scheduled on July 24, an IOC official just announced.
International's Olympic Committee member Dick Pound says that they have officially decided to postpone the games ... in light of the COVID-19 global pandemic.
“On the basis of the information the IOC has, postponement has been decided,” Pound told USA Today.
“The parameters going forward have not been determined, but the Games are not going to start on July 24, that much I know.”
It's unclear when officials will reschedule the games.
“We will postpone this and begin to deal with all the ramifications of moving this, which are immense,” Pound says.
The move should surprise absolutely nobody ... the globe has been paralyzed by COVID-19, with major cities and even countries shutting down over fears of spreading the lethal virus.
IOC officials tried their best to keep the games on ... but pressure from critics clearly grew too heavy for them to move forward with the July games as planned.
Remember, both Canada AND Australia said they would NOT send players to Tokyo to compete if the games were not postponed.
"With COVID-19 and the associated risks, it is not safe for our athletes, and the health and safety of their families and the broader Canadian community for athletes to continue training towards these Games," Canadian Olympic officials said in a statement.
"Containing the virus must be our paramount concern. We are in the midst of a global health crisis that is far more significant than sport."
President Donald Trump has suggested officials reschedule the Summer Games next year.
Originally Published -- 3/23 10:48 AM PT
