The Tokyo Olympic Games 2020

The summer Tokyo Olympic Games 2020 that were scheduled to start in Tokyo on the 24th of July and everyone expected an amazing showcase of technology and sportsmanship. However, it looks like we are going to wait for another year until we can enjoy the amazing show the Japanese authorities prepared for us. However, postponing the Olympics is just one part of the amazing story about this once-in-four-year’s celebration. Check out the article we prepared today to find out everything about the Olympic games in Tokyo and what postponing them means for the sporting world.

First Time Since the World War II When This Happens

In a weird coincidence, this is not the first time Japan is forced to postpone or cancel hosting the summer Olympics. Even though this is the first time it happens due to a pandemic, Japan turned down hosting the 1940 Olympic games as well. Back then, World War II was already building up momentum and it was impossible to host the summer Olympics when Europe was preparing for war.

In 2020, Japan as well as the International Olympic Committee decided that it’s best to postpone the summer Olympics for 2021 and give Europe the time needed to recover from the coronavirus pandemic that engulfed most of the countries. So, even though the reasons are completely different, we have a historical model for what is happening now. Of course, the fate of these athletes that are still going to compete one year later is better than those of 1940 that had to give up the stadiums for heading to the front line.

What Does Postponing the Games Mean for the Athletes?

Up until the decision to postpone the summer Tokyo Olympic Games 2020, over 6,000 athletes were already qualified to the games. And there was still plenty of time for thousands more to book their tickets for the biggest celebration of sports. It goes without saying that for most of them this news is devastating as they trained a lot for this huge event that can come only once in a lifetime for some athletes. And it’s not just a few days of training, some of the athletes construct their lives around the Olympic games with intense training regimen and often putting into the background college degrees or other aspects such as social life.

Besides the psychological factor, this one-year delay for the summer Olympics also means going back to the drawing board in terms of training. While most of the athlete’s crafter training programs so that they give their best performances in July, it’s time to start from scratch now. Some athletes may decide to retire altogether since some of them were really pushing for one last Olympic medal before putting an end to their careers. Another year waiting, without proper training and competitions, could mean not being able to perform as expected for elder athletes.

How Postponing the Olympics Impact the Global Sports Calendar?

Since there are no less than 33 sports participating in the Olympics, the international sports federations now face the task of adapting their calendars to the new schedule. For example, the track and field world championships were supposed to take place in August 2021 and if the Olympics are going to start in July, this competition would have to be cancelled or postponed with the athletes competing in the Olympics instead.

However, in more popular sports like football, the calendar is already packed with the domestic leagues, international competitions, Champions League, and many more. So, making room for the Olympics in such a crowded calendar can prove to be an extremely complicated equation.

However, for sports fans 2021 will be an amazing year with all the regular sporting competitions taking place as well as the added advantage of having the Olympics and Euro 2021 to enjoy. So, after all, postponing the two events until things are under control in Europe and the rest of the world is not the worst thing that could happen.