As many of you know, the 2020 Summer Olympics were to be held this summer in Tokyo. The Olympics, if you did NOT know, is an event in which athletes from all around the world come together to compete against each other and make their countries proud. However, due to the Coronavirus, the 2020 Summer Olympics has been postponed until next year, in the summer of 2021. This is the first time in history that the Olympics has ever been postponed due to something other than a world war!

As sad as it is, the decision to postpone the 2020 Summer Olympics was made as an effort to further help heal the worldwide spread of coronavirus. Decision makers wish to reschedule the Olympics for Friday, July 23, 2021 to Sunday, August 8, 2021. However, they still plan to call it the 2020 Summer Olympic Games even though they will not be taking place now until 2021. Also, the Olympics will still occur in Tokyo, just as they were going to this summer, and the famous “Olympic Flame”, a symbol of continuity used in the Olympic movement, will still be stored in Japan.

Now, you may be wondering, “What will happen to the four year gap between the Olympics?” Well, after the Olympics in 2021, the next Olympic year will be three years after, or in the year of 2024. Therefore, the schedule will be right back on track once the 2024 Olympics occur, as the 4 year gap between each Olympics will continue once again. The only other times the Olympics have ever been pushed back was in 1916, during World War I, 1940, and 1944, which were both at the times of World War II. Many are extremely disappointed that they have to wait a whole extra year to watch the Olympic Games, but they understand the risk that would have been made if the Olympics were not postponed to next summer.

At a time of sadness and negativity, it is important for us all to keep looking for the bright side of it all. For one thing, the rescheduling of the Olympics will give all of the athletes from around the world a whole extra year to go to work and be that much more ready for the Olympics in 2021. Also, imagine telling the kids of the future all of the things we are living through right now. We may catch ourselves saying in the future, “Oh I remember the time when the Olympics got postponed in 2020 due to a worldwide pandemic!” We are experiencing history here even though it doesn’t feel like it all the time. With that said, even though there have been massive barriers regarding the continuation of the Olympic Games, with hard work from people all over the world, it has been made possible for the Olympics to still go on, which is a bright side on its own!