IOC, Japan agree to postpone Olympics one year due to coronavirus concerns

Yahoo Sports' Jeff Eisenberg explains the committee's decision to wait on hosting the Olympics in Tokyo, why it took so long to decide and why there's still a chance that the Games could be postponed again.

Video Transcript

JEFF EISENBERG: At long last, the International Olympic Committee has stopped acting like nothing unusual is happening in the world. They're postponing the 2020 Olympics until the summer of 2021, a decision that seemed inevitable long before the IOC acknowledged the possibility. Infectious-disease experts universally agree that the coronavirus pandemic will not be under control by July. Even if Japan's outbreak is over by then, the country cannot risk becoming a mixing bowl for athletes, coaches, and fans from virus-ravaged regions.

Athletes also wouldn't be ready to compete if the Olympics started as planned. Many across Europe and North America can't train, and those that can fear they're endangering themselves and their loved ones by doing so.

The decision to postpone to 2021 instead of 2022 leaves the IOC a bit susceptible to its nightmare scenario. Experts say there's a slim chance the IOC could have to postpone again if the coronavirus outbreak is still smoldering in some parts of the world and a vaccine isn't ready for mass production.

One reason the IOC waited so long to postpone the Olympics was because it's a logistical nightmare. Billions of dollars and years of planning went into the 2020 Olympics. Pushing it back a year is not as simple as copy and pasting.

A key issue the IOC must still decide is whether athletes who already secured a spot in the Olympics will have to requalify. It seems unfair to strip anyone of their spot under these circumstances, but athletes who qualified in 2019 may no longer be a country's strongest by 2021.

At least athletes now have clarity. No longer will they train for nothing this year. Now they can begin preparation for Tokyo 2021.