Grinding Halt: IOC Confirms Olympics Is Postponed Until 2021
ESPN reported today that the 2020 Olympics are now officially postponed until next year. Resident expert Jeremy Schaap states that this move was inevitable, but 100% agreement was needed between IOC president Thomas Bach and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. This is historic: The Summer Games have never been postponed before. (The Olympics was completely canceled three times due to war.)
A joint statement by the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee and the IOC released today says that the “IOC president and the Prime Minister of Japan have concluded that the Games… 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.”
Nearly every country has been affected by this health crisis, ESPN says.
The World Health Organization had been keeping the IOC informed of the escalating health situation; nearly every country has been affected, ESPN says.
Skaters are used to delays—just try being a filmer—but the circumstances surrounding this decision do contribute to a sort of general hopelessness and fear. Nyjah Huston summed up our collective reaction to the news in this recent Instagram post… we feel you, ‘Jah. Follow The Berrics on Instagram for more Olympics news.
Watch some of our recent team U.S.A. Olympics coverage below… and stay safe out there: don’t go outside, wash your hands, and keep hope alive.
