The global pandemic has affected every single aspect of daily life throughout the world. Unfortunately, the sports and live event industry has been hit particularly hard by COVID-19. All major sport leagues including the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL have had to postpone and restructure their games. In addition, other major sport leagues around the globe has to cancel and make adjustments to their game schedules. However, the largest impact of COVID-19 in sports came with the postponement of the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. This global event was originally scheduled to take place from July 24^th to August 9^th this year. The Olympic committee announced its postponement back in March when the virus started to spread to everywhere in the world. The Olympic Games are now scheduled to take place from July 23 to August 8 in 2021.

The postponement of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 is to safeguard the health of all those who make the Games possible.

As this is the first postponement in the history of the @Olympics, this FAQ is here to help answer any questions you may have.https://t.co/OkCGQIdl30

— #Tokyo2020 (@Tokyo2020) April 7, 2020

One of the toughest consequences of postponing the 2020 Summer Olympics is the economic loss that will be incurred by Tokyo. First off, the estimated amount of visitors for the Olympics next year will definitely be lower due to social distancing guidelines and people not having the economical means to purchase tickets. In addition, the tourism and hotel industry will decline due to not having as many visitors. Some major sponsors are also dealing with the repercussions of postponing the Summer Olympics for another year. It is estimated that Japan will lose $6 billion as a result of the Olympics being delayed.

Besides economic strain, the International Olympic Committee received complaints regarding the handling of the situation back in March. Countless numbers of athletes from around the world protested until the Olympic Games were postponed. Countries such as Canada made it clear that they wouldn’t send their athletes to Tokyo if the Olympics commenced as scheduled. In addition, individual teams within countries, such as the USA Swimming Team, respectfully requested the postponement of the Olympics.

USA Swimming respectfully requests that the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee advocate for the postponement of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. pic.twitter.com/q5bhUwi05q

— USA Swimming (@USASwimming) March 20, 2020

I think it was completely justified for the athletes to protest and demand the International Olympic Committee to postpone the Olympics. Having this large and international event was going to clearly put the global health at risk. The virus would have easily spread in such a large venue and become worse once all the visitors and athletes left to return to their countries. In the end, the International Olympic Committee postponed the event and hope to have a great turnout and event next year.

By: Zackary Ziegler