No time for Games

Tokyo, March 24

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The 2020 Tokyo Olympics have been postponed to no later than the summer of 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic sweeping the globe, the International Olympic Committee announced today.

Only war has led to cancellation

Berlin 1916 It is not clear when the Games fell victim to the war, but the founder of the modern Olympics, Pierre de Coubertin, decreed that the Berlin 1916 Games still be counted as the sixth Olympiad, even though they never took place.

Tokyo 1940 With Japan at war with China from 1937, diplomatic pressure grew for Japan to give up the Games. The Japanese Olympic Committee eventually bowed to the inevitable and in 1938 told the IOC it would not be hosting the Games, euphemistically citing the “trouble with China” as the reason. They also abandoned the winter Games, planned in the northern city of Sapporo. The IOC awarded the summer Games to Helsinki instead and the winter Games to St Moritz in Switzerland, but these too fell victim to World War II.

London 1944 Despite what British Prime Minister Winston Churchill called the “gathering storm” over Europe due to Nazi Germany, the IOC met in London in July 1939 to decide which city would host the 1944 Olympics. They plumped for London, which beat bids by Rome, Detroit, Lausanne and Athens. But only three months later, Britain had declared war on Germany and the 1944 Games was a non-starter.

Delayed, Olympics will still be called ‘Tokyo 2020’

Tokyo: The postponed Olympics will retain the name “Tokyo 2020” despite being held next year, the city’s governor said today. “The name will remain Tokyo 2020,” Yuriko Koike told reporters after Japan’s prime minister said he agreed a year’s delay with the head of the International Olympic Committee because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Games were scheduled for July 24-August 9, but after telephone discussions between IOC president Thomas Bach and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a historic joint decision was taken for the first postponement of an Olympics in peacetime.

Abe said Bach was in “100 percent agreement” when Japan asked the IOC to push back the Games.

In a joint statement, the pair said that based on current World Health Organization information, the Tokyo 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”.

“The leaders agreed that the Olympic Games in Tokyo could stand as a beacon of hope to the world during these troubled times and that the Olympics flame could become the light at the end of the tunnel in which the world finds itself at present. Therefore, it was agreed that the Olympics flame will stay in Japan. It was also agreed that the Games will keep the name Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020,” the statement concluded.

The decision will be a devastating blow for the city of Tokyo, which had won widespread praise for its organisation, with venues finished well ahead of time and tickets massively oversubscribed.

Highest-profile postponement

The Olympics, which has experienced boycotts, terrorist attacks and protests, but has been held every four years since 1948, would be the highest-profile event affected by the virus that has killed thousands and closed sports competitions worldwide.

The IOC has come under increasing pressure in recent days to postpone the Games, scheduled to start on July 24, with 1.7 billion people across the planet in lockdown to prevent the further spread of Covid-19.

Tokyo was spending some $12.6 billion to host the Games, according to its latest budget, and experts believe a postponement could cost it some $6 billion in the short-term before recouping it when they eventually go ahead.

It will also be a bitter blow to sponsors and major broadcasters who rely on the four-yearly extravaganza for critical advertising revenue. — AFP

Who’s saying what

This decision today, relieves our athletes of worries of having to train now during an epidemic and perform their best in four months from now. — Rajeev Mehta, indian olympic association secretary general

It is with profound sadness that we accept the postponement, but in all consciousness it is the only decision we can support, in light of the devastating impact Covid-19 is having on our nation, our communities and our families. — Andy Andson, british olympic association chief executive

The now quick and clear decision to postpone the Olympic and Paralympic Games is a correct and enormously important step for international sport and the entire world community. — Alfons Hormann, german olympic sports confederation president

The IOC has given us some good news by announcing that the Olympic Games will be postponed. It will allow all athletes to be able to compete in equal conditions — Alejandro Blanco, spanish olympic committee president

Our belief from the outstanding Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan, is that the hosts will come out of this adversity stronger and more committed than ever before to deliver an exceptional Games. — World Rugby

It is time for them to stop thinking about Tokyo 2020 for now and be home and safe with their families. It is what athletes want and we believe this decision will give all athletes, technical officials and volunteers some respite. — World Athletics