Japan prime minister Shinzo Abe announced that the games will take place next year
The 2020 Tokyo Olympics has been postponed until 2021, announced Japan prime minister Shinzo Abe.
The IOC had given itself a four-week deadline to make a decision earlier this week, but it has only taken just two days since that announcement to make the decision. Abe asked for the suspension in a call with the IOC on Tuesday.
With the coronavirus pandemic causing sport events around the world to be postponed or cancelled, it now leaves broadcasters in a tricky position going forward. In the UK, both the BBC and Eurosport will have scheduled for content from the Olympic Games, but will now have to find something else to fill that time.
Pay-tv broadcasters Sky Sports and BT Sport have had similar issues due to elite sport being suspended, with both choosing to use documentaries, archive footage, and original content to fill the gap.
Production teams may also be affected, with little sport now happening this summer but a plethora next year may spread them thin with the Olympics, men’s football European Championships, and other events planned to go ahead then.
The decision to postpone the Olympics was likely forced after both the Australian and Canadian teams made clear that they wouldn’t take part if it was held this summer.