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Tokyo Olympics Officially Postponed

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(Photo courtesy of USA Softball)

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Tokyo Olympic organizers have officially agreed to postpone the 2020 Summer Games due to the recent worldwide coronavirus outbreak.

This is the first time that the Games, which will now be held in 2021, have been postponed.


"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," a joint statement from the IOC and Tokyo 2020 organizing committee stated.

"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. 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."

Softball was set to make its first appearance in the Olympic program since 2008 this summer. Japan, USA, Canada, Australia, Mexico and Italy all qualified for softball competition at the 2020 Games.

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