Tokyo Olympics postponed to 2021

Japan’s Prime Minister and the head of the International
Olympic Committee Shinzo Abe today agreed to postpone the Tokyo 2020 Games by a
year in an extraordinary move, unprecedented in peacetime, as the world battles
the coronavirus pandemic.

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