by Justin Lyons
The 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo are following the old show business gospel of “the show must go on.”
John Coates, vice president of the International Olympic Committee, spoke with AFP to say the Olympics would indeed begin in July 2021, whether COVID-19 is still around or not.
The summer games were originally scheduled to take place this summer, but complications from COVID-19 delayed them until next year.
Coates said the next Olympiad will be “the Games that conquered COVID.”
According to BBC, chief executive of the Tokyo Games Toshiro Muto also said it was possible for a limited audience to be in attendance and wanted to avoid having no spectators.
BBC also reported that Muto said a vaccine was not necessary for the games to go on.
Sports were warmly welcomed back in the United States in July, and the National Football League will return this week. Though basketball, baseball and hockey are finishing their seasons without fans, plan for fans in football stadiums remain tentative.
Fans around the country will have their eyes on the situation, and we obviously hope to see fans cheering on their home countries next year in one of the most unifying events in the world if conditions so permit.
