Covid-19/Tokyo 2020: IOC and Japan postpone the Olympic Games until "no later than summer 2021"

Thomas Bach (GER), president of the IOC and Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan, have reached the conclusion that the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic 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," announced the IOC and the organising committee for the 2020 Olympic Games on 24/03/2020.

This postponement was confirmed during a conference call, while the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic has already caused more than 16,000 deaths worldwide and is forcing the confinement of 1.8 billion people as of 24/03/2020.

"We have started detailed discussions to complete our assessment of the rapid development of the worldwide health situation and its impact on the Olympic Games, including a scenario of postponement," stated Thomas Bach previously in a letter addressed "to the global athlete community" in order to explain the International Olympic Committee's approach on 22/03/2020, 124 days before the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games was due to take place…