The Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games have been postponed until 2021.
Following a meeting of the IOC, it was decided that the event, due to begin on 24 July, will now take place “no later than summer 2021”.
The announcement was made by Shinzo Abe, Japan’s Prime Minister.
The event will still be called Tokyo 2020 despite taking place in 2021.
While the Games is the biggest sporting event to be affected by the pandemic, there has been a huge impact on a host of other major tournaments and sports:
- In rugby union, the end of this year’s Six Nations was postponed, Super Rugby has stopped.
- In football, Euro 2020 was postponed and will be played in the summer of 2021.
- The first eight Grand Prix of the Formula 1 season has been delayed, with the Monaco Grand Prix cancelled.
- All cricket is cancelled.
- All forms of professional tennis have been postponed until 7 June, ruling out the clay-court season, while the French Open – the year’s second Grand Slam, has been rescheduled for September.
- Golf’s Masters and PGA Championship have both been postponed, with a decision yet to be made about September’s Ryder Cup.
- The London Marathon has been moved from 26 April to 4 October.
