2020 Olympics Postponed

By Devyn Gomez, Staff Reporter

2020 was supposed to be a year for excitement and happiness. Unfortunately, the world has been going through a pandemic with COVID-19 which has led to many events being cancelled or postponed, including the 2020 Olympics.

The 2020 Olympics was to be held this summer in Tokyo, Japan. However, the games will be postponed until July 23, 2021. As many athletes, coaches, and fans are saddened by this news, they still have an extra year of training to improve and get stronger.

“The preparation for the new dates will go smoothly, as the dates match with the same time frame as the original competition dates, corresponding with ticketing, venue staffing, volunteers and transport,” Governor Koike Yuriko Governor of Tokyo said. “Therefore, I believe that celebrating the opening of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 on 23 July 2021 is ideal. The athletes, volunteers, torchbearers and local municipality governments have been concerned about the situation.”

As athletes continue their training for the biggest stage in sports history, Olympic Trials are said to still be happening in June. That won’t stop athletes from achieving their dreams.

The Olympics had never been postponed or rescheduled for anything other than war. In 1916, 1940, and 1944, the games were canceled due to escalating world wars.

“It’s tragic that the Olympics -- such a grand tournament-- has been postponed to June 2021, but at the same time I also believe it is a very necessary action,” senior Prethy Enriquez said. “Not only is the world collectively in turmoil because of COVID-19 but at this point there has only been increasing cases. With this in mind, I respect this decision and I look forward to the future when we can finally be at ease.”

As we all wait to watch sports’ biggest stage, athletes will find a way to get their training in and ready themselves for the upcoming Olympic Trials and Olympic Games next year.