The 2020 Tokyo Olympics have been postponed to no later than the summer of 2021 because of the Coronavirus pandemic sweeping the globe, the International Olympic Committee announced on Tuesday. The Games were scheduled for July 24 to August 9, but after telephone discussions between IOC president Thomas Bach and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a historic joint decision was taken for the first postponement of an Olympics in peacetime.

Abe said Bach was in "100 percent agreement" when Japan asked the IOC to push back the Games. In a joint statement, the pair said that based on current World Health Organisation information, the Tokyo Games "must be rescheduled to a date beyond 2020 but not later than summer 2021, to safeguard the health of the athletes, everybody involved in the Olympic Games and the international community".