Coronavirus: Olympics Cancelled

The IOC and Japanese PM Shinzo Abe announced on Tuesday the Summer Olympics will be postponed until 2021. Both sides agreed it was not safe to hold the games this summer as scheduled due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. This announcement comes just a day after Canada and Australia announced they were not sending teams unless the games were postponed to 2021, and the UK was expected to announce the same thing today before the IOC announcement.

Japanese officials stressed they want to host a full and complete Olympics which could not be guaranteed during the coronavirus pandemic. If the games were to go ahead, it is likely that events would take place in front of empty stadiums, and some sports would be cancelled due to coronavirus infections among athletes. Under these conditions the decision was made to postpone the Olympics to allow full fan attendance at the Olympics next year.

Another issue for the games is that gyms and sports facilities have been closed in many countries to contain the outbreak. The last few months leading up to the games are typically a time of intense training as athletes hone their skills for the upcoming competition, but many athletes have been stuck at home unable to train properly due to facility closures.

Previous Olympics cancellations happened in 1916, 1940, and 1944 due to the First and Second World Wars, with this year’s Olympics being the first time the games have ever been postponed during peacetime.