The Tokyo Olympics have been postponed until the summer of 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic, Japanâs Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has announced.
Pressure had been mounting on the International Olympic Committee, the local organisers and the Japanese government to confirm a delay, and it was confirmed on Tuesday that Abe had proposed a one-year postponement on a conference call with IOC president Thomas Bach.
A tweet from Abeâs official account read: âAfter his telephone talks with IOC President Bach, PM Abe spoke to the press and explained that the two have agreed that the Tokyo Olympic Games would not be cancelled, and the games will be held by the summer of 2021.â
The IOCâs executive board is now set to formally announce a postponement later on Tuesday.
There have been confirmed cases of the coronavirus in 165 countries with well over 300,000 people diagnosed so far.
Social distancing restrictions imposed by national governments across the globe have had a huge impact on athletesâ ability to prepare and train for the Games, and they had been crying out for the IOC to end the uncertainty and postpone.
This comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced strict coronavirus lockdown measures for the country in a speech.
In a TV address from inside 10 Downing Street, Johnson revealed that from last night (March 23), citizens must stay at home except to shop for food and medicine, for only one form of exercise per day, and to travel to and from essential workplaces.
Public gatherings of more than two people who do not live together will be prohibited, and the police have the power to shut down such gatherings, either through fines or forcibly dispersing gatherings. Shops selling non-essential goods are also set to be shut, following Johnsonâs call for pubs, restaurants and bars to close over the weekend.
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