In March of this year, we learned that the next edition of the Summer Olympic Games was bumped to 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic, with the elite international multi-sport competition kicking off on July 23rd in Tokyo, Japan.
Since that time, we’ve heard speculation on whether the Games could be further pushed back or even cancelled based on coronavirus developments worldwide. For instance, at the end of April, the head of the Japan Medical Association, Yoshitake Yokokura, expressed doubt that the Olympics could take place without a vaccine.
A month later, International Olympic Committee (IOC) inspectorate for the Games, as well as the Australian Olympic Association chief John Coates stated that, even if a vaccine for the virus is created in time, there is a chance that the Games can still not occur as planned.
Now entering June, a high-ranking IOC member in Pierre-Olivier Beckers-Vieujant of Belgium has said that a possible decision on further Olympic postponement will be made ‘in the spring if questions over the coronavirus crisis persist’.
Per Inside the Games, Beckers-Vieujant told media he ‘was confident the Games would take place and also downplayed suggestions of the event being staged sans spectators. But, he did echo other administrators who have said that the Games will be cancelled if they indeed do not move forward in 2021.
“We are convinced that the Games will take place in 2021 or they won’t take place,” Beckers-Vieujant said. “All the sporting federations have to adapt to the Games’ postponement. We can’t envisage a similar upheaval a second time.”
