Tuesday, March 24, 2020

Major Obstacle to Postponing Tokyo Summer Olympics Removed, Joint Announcement Makes It Official


A major obstacle toward postponing the Summer Olympics has been removed. According to the AP, IOC President Thomas Bach and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held a phone conversation this morning where both parties agreed 100% to postpone the Summer Olympiad.

Both parties agreeing to postpone the games means no lawsuit can take place, and no contracts will have been broken. 

The news comes less than 24 hours after the US Olympic Committee announced they would send no athletes to the Summer Games if they took place. It also takes place less than 24 hours after IOC member Dick Pound said the games would be postponed.

In a joint statement released on Tuesday the IOC and Tokyo Prime Minister have announced a few things. 1) The games will keep the name Tokyo 2020 despite when they take place, likely in 2021. 2) The Olympic Flame will not be relit. Instead it will remain sequestered in Japan for a year. 3) The time the games take place hasn't been arranged yet, but they won't occur later than Summer 2021.

The goal now becomes when can the games be moved to. The goal is to hold the games at a time to show the Global Pandemic has ended and that the Spirit of mankind continues to burn brightly. It means Olympian hopefuls will have another year of prep time, but considering that many are currently sitting in isolation it becomes essential prep time. 

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