The International Olympic Committee will postpone this summer’s Olympic Games in Tokyo until 2021 because of the novel coronavirus pandemic, after a request to delay from Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Abe said IOC chief Thomas Bach had agreed "100 percent" to the delay.


Calls for a postponement had become overwhelming in advance of the IOC delaying the games, which were due to start in July. Canada had already pulled out its athletes and several other major sports federations, including the British Olympic Association and USA Track and Field, had demanded a delay until 2021.