The 2020 Tokyo Olympics have been postponed in the latest hit to the tennis calendar as COVID-19 continues to ravage…
Tokyo Olympics postponed to 2021
Andy Murray with the Rio Olympics singles gold medal (PA Images)
The 2020 Tokyo Olympics have been postponed in the latest hit to the tennis calendar as COVID-19 continues to ravage sporting competitions across the world.
Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe and International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach came to an official agreement on Tuesday, postponing the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games until 2021 due to safety concerns surrounding the deadly coronavirus.
Abe confirmed that the Tokyo Olympics could not be held later than summer 2021.
“In the present circumstances and based on the information provided by the WHO today, the IOC President and the Prime Minister of Japan have concluded that the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo 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 International Olympic Committee said in a statement.
Joint Statement from the International Olympic Committee and the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committeehttps://t.co/XNcaa4Gvx8
— Olympics (@Olympics) March 24, 2020
Due to marketing reasons, the Olympic and Paralympic Games will keep the name Tokyo 2020.
Organisers also said the Olympic flame will remain in Tokyo as a symbol of hope for everyone around the world during these troubling times.
“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 Olympic flame could become the light at the end of the tunnel in which the world finds itself at present,” the IOC said in a statement. “Therefore, it was agreed that the Olympic flame will stay in Japan. It was also agreed that the Games will keep the name Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020.”
The tennis tournament at Tokyo 2020 will be staged at the Ariake Tennis Park, which currently hosts the ATP Japan Open and WTA Pan Pacific Open.
It remains to be seen how the postponement of Tokyo 2020 to next year affects the 2021 tennis calendar, with the Games set to take place after Wimbledon and before the U.S. Open Series.
Andy Murray and Monica Puig are the defending Olympic gold-medal singles champions, while Rafael Nadal/Marc Lopez and Ekaterina Makarova/Elena Vesnina are defending doubles champions.
Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Jack Sock of USA are the reigning mixed doubles winners.
