Amid the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic and many events either being cancelled or postponed, one question has remained in the minds of people around the world: What will happen to the 2020 Toyko Olympics?
That question has finally been answered.
The 2020 Toyko Summer Olympics has officially been rescheduled to July 23 - August 8, 2021.
After much deliberation, it has been decided that next year's opening ceremonies will begin on July 23, 2021, almost exactly one year after the games were due to start this year.
There was talk of moving the games to the spring to coincide with the blooming of the Japanese cherry blossoms, which would be an amazing sight for the world to see, but that would compete with European soccer and North American sports leagues. The organizers also want to keep the games in the summer in order to give athletes more time to qualify since many events have been cancelled amid the outbreak.
The decision was made by keeping three factors in mind: to protect the health of athletes, to safeguard the interests of the athletes and Olympic sport, and the international sports calendar.
It also came out how costly it will be to reschedule the games. Local reports estimate billions of dollars, with most of the expenses borne by Japanese taxpayers.
The outbreak has caused many events to cancel or postpone and it is unfortunate that the 2020 Olympics had to be one of them, but it is in the best interest of the athletes and spectators.