Summer Olympics postponed to 2021

for Ramapo News

Due to the concerns over the global coronavirus outbreak, the approaching Summer Olympic Games set to take place in Tokyo have officially been delayed to summer 2021.

Many athletes that were intending on performing in the Games this year, however, have not slowed down their training. Athletes around the world have taken to social media to show how they plan to train at home for the next month. 

Team Great Britain’s Judo Olympian Gemma Louise Howell has been training in her back garden with the help of her sister and her dogs.

“I think the decision to make the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 is the right one,” Howell said in a virtual interview with Bloomberg. “Family and health should be first.”

Tennis star Roger Federer shared a video on Twitter of him making trick shots at his home court in the snow. This video was shared days prior to receiving the news that the Wimbledon tennis championships, which were set to take place this summer, have been cancelled.

Federer, while proving to be upset about the Wimbledon cancellation, agreed with fans on Twitter by saying that “health and family” should be prioritized.

Perhaps one of the most shared videos of an athlete’s unique training is from Olympic swimming champion Sharon van Rouwendaal of the Netherlands. Rouwendaal is seen in full swimming attire, training in a blow-up swimming pool in her backyard. She captioned the video with, “There’s always a solution, you just have to be creative!”

 While this is the first time that the Olympics have been postponed, the Games have previously been cancelled three times in its history, all due to the World Wars. A number of fans have questioned why the Olympics were not just cancelled altogether, as the vast majority of sporting events have been. 

However, the Olympic Games are the largest worldwide championship for sports. Cancelling the games would be detrimental for the city of Tokyo as well as the athletes that have spent years training.

Olympic Team Great Britain have taken to Twitter to share video messages from their athletes to emphasize the dire need for social distancing around the world. 

“Everybody has to play a part in fighting this virus,” Olympic diver Tom Daley said in the video. “The Olympics have been postponed, but we’re training at home and staying as socially distanced as much as we physically can.”