IOC and Japan agree to postpone Tokyo 2020 Olympics

The 2020 Olympic and Paralympics will be postponed for a year due to the coronavirus pandemic after International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach today agreed to Japan’s request for postponement.

The IOC says the games will be held "not later than summer 2021" but they will still be called the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Japan PM Shinzō Abe said after his telephone talks with IOC president Thomas Bach that he requested a postponement, "taking into consideration the current circumstances" and to secure an environment in which athletes can perform at their best and crowds can be safe and secure.

He added he hoped to reschedule the Olympics as a proof of human victory over the coronavirus pandemic.