Due to Covid-19 2020 pandemic, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), International Paralympic Committee (IPC), and other supporting partners agreed to postpone the event until 2021. The unforeseen pandemic caused a lot of inconveniences for all the planning parties involved.
Travel arrangements for athletes, venues for non-competitors and competitors, and ticketing have become complicated for the Olympic movement and sponsoring partners to coordinate. The new dates for the Olympics games are July 23 to August 8, 2021. For the Paralympics games, the new dates set are from August 24 to September 5, 2021.
The event is set to start in less than 200 days, and accommodation is still undecided. The fourth wave of coronavirus has made things difficult for the entire country. Local spectators will have to wait until June for a final verdict on whether they will spectate in the sporting venues. It is also unclear what to expect with the virus, but everyone remains hopeful and optimistic.
When the verdict of local spectators remains unknown, the key organizers have already decided to ban international spectators. The high-risk level of the coronavirus has dictated that no foreign supporters will enter the country. Only participating persons and management teams get cleared. Even then, there will be a limit. International volunteers, too, will not be accepted because of the unique circumstances.
However, some debates are ongoing, considering limiting international guests after Tokyo’s state of emergency ends. A proposed 2,000 people per day limit, including Japanese citizens returning home and businesspeople, is favored but not yet finalized. The 14-day-self quarantine period will still apply to all who will be arriving in the country.
The IOC president, Thomas Bach, calls for everyone’s effort to strive and make the games a symbol of hope for the world in such unsure moments. The 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics games were the first-ever games to postpone over 120 years of their existence.
Most countries will broadcast Tokyo’s Olympics opening ceremony on live television for the first time in history. Although NBC aired the 2018 winter Olympics, it will be the first time to air the opening ceremony at 7 am. The preparations will ensure the world feels involved in the summer games even with the strict restrictions.