The biggest sporting event of this year, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games saw a shocking a year of postponement amidst the novel Coronavirus pandemic. Following a joint conference including the International Olympics Committee (IOC) and the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee yesterday, the decision has been taken to push the grand event forward into 2021. The decision has been widely accepted with praise, and many Olympians and former athletes have expressed their jubilation over the mammoth decision.
Many athletes from India, who were setting themselves up for their best performance at the grand event to skyrocket India’s possible medal tally, now have gained a whole long year before they set foot in Japan in July next year. From veteran Olympic stalwarts to the debutantes, many athletes from India and all over the world have taken it to Twitter to react to the grand news. Below are some of those tweets:
Excellent and right decision 👍🥊 https://t.co/CwoS1ktJVy
— Mary Kom (@MangteC) March 24, 2020
It’s a good decision by IOC . For all the athletes who have qualified and for all the athletes who haven’t n still waiting to participate in the remaining qualifiers . Considering the current situation all around the world , every athlete will be at peace now. Safety first . https://t.co/tQVANJ51XP
— Saina Nehwal (@NSaina) March 24, 2020
To all athletes – stay safe and healthy now that's the best you can do for yourself and your country. When we all rise we will be behind you all even more. And your achievement will mean everything ! @Athlete365 @Olympics @Tokyo2020
— Abhinav Bindra OLY (@Abhinav_Bindra) March 24, 2020
Summer #Olympic का 2021 में होने पर थोड़ा संतोष हुआ।🙏🙏 @KirenRijiju @Olympics @IndianOlympians @Media_SAI @narendramodi @PhogatRitu @Sangram_Sanjeet @DuttYogi #Tokyo2021 pic.twitter.com/F4oSeohC9W
— Divya Kakran (@DivyaWrestler) March 25, 2020
We flight COVID-19…
Let the humanity wins. Stay at home everyone…#IndiaFightsCorona #tokyo2021 pic.twitter.com/dedO0LNnP2— Atanu Das (@ArcherAtanu) March 24, 2020
AND ITS OFFICIAL from The PM of Japan !!
Tokyo Olympics postponed to 2021 summer !! https://t.co/Kd2SRcYDAx— Sathiyan Gnanasekaran (@sathiyantt) March 24, 2020
Postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics was inevitable & the right decision given the gravity of the Coronavirus pandemic. Frm athlete perspective, a 1 year postponement means everything starts from scratch-current form, fitness, confidence, momentum all go out through the window
— Viren Rasquinha (@virenrasquinha) March 24, 2020
Time for Indian NSFs come up with the roadmap for 2021 Olympics.If not prepared already,it must be done asap for athletes to have a clarity about what next.athletes might not have shelf life,Its less than 1 year to prepare the teams @IndianOlympians @BoriaMajumdar @DiggySinghDeo
— Joydeep Karmakar OLY (@Joydeep709) March 24, 2020
By the time tournaments starts again my Ranking would be close to 100 🤣🤣 @bwfmedia is not doing anything to freeze the current rankings 🤷🏻🤷🏻🤦🏻
— PRANNOY HS (@PRANNOYHSPRI) March 24, 2020
See you in 2021 !
🤷🏻♂️🥇💥🇯🇵 #olympics #greatmemories #goldmedal #seeyou #2021 #stayhome #staysafe pic.twitter.com/WV4cM1nSBt— Stanislas Wawrinka (@stanwawrinka) March 24, 2020
Keep her lit til 2021 👊 https://t.co/MXScKx13eQ
— Ciara Mageean (@ciaramageean) March 24, 2020
Sad news today that we won’t be able to compete at the Olympics this year, but it’s definitely the right decision given the situation the world is in with Covid19.
Instead of being disappointed, let’s look forward to making 2021 the best Olympics the world has ever seen! pic.twitter.com/05luiIpHSl
— Petra Kvitova (@Petra_Kvitova) March 24, 2020
2021 it is!
An extra year to wait for the honour of representing my country on the Olympic stage once more.
We will face the next few months of uncertainty together yet apart. Keep safe everyone. pic.twitter.com/q4udPorv1d
— Ciara Mageean (@ciaramageean) March 24, 2020
I’m not fully over the Olympics moving yet, but a great to look at it, is pretty simple. If you weren’t a medal prospect, then having an extra year is a gift. For the medal prospects, then it will simply make your Olympic dream a little harder. For most of us, it’s a gift. #time
— Stephen Scullion (@scullion262) March 24, 2020
2x Olympic gold medalist & Delran, NJs Carli Lloyd to @6abc on Olympics Postponement
“It’s bigger than an Olympics. I definitely think it’s the right call. Disappointed… but I think for the safety of everybody, it’s definitely the best thing”@6abc@CarliLloyd#Olympics2020 pic.twitter.com/69MAzL2xzo
— Jeff Skversky 6abc (@JeffSkversky) March 24, 2020
Waited 8 years for this, what’s another 1 in the grand scheme of things? 😅📈💪🏽 As an athlete, it’s heartbreaking news about the olympics being postponed until 2021, but it’s for all the right reasons and the safety of everyone! Hope everyone keeps safe and stay indoors x pic.twitter.com/z0JlgV2efI
— KJT (@JohnsonThompson) March 24, 2020
Focus on what we know.
Focus on what we can control.
Together, we'll be stronger.👏, 2x Paralympic medalist @Aoki5Chuck pic.twitter.com/uZLiRWv3aO
— Team USA (@TeamUSA) March 24, 2020
London 2012 🇬🇧 🟢
Rio 2016 🇧🇷 🟢
Tokyo 2021 🇯🇵 🔜Thankful to finally have some clarity regarding The Olympic Games. A huge decision but I think the right one for sure.
Time to regain, look after each other during this difficult period and go again when the time is right! pic.twitter.com/l1NjjUUmMy
— Adam Gemili (@Adam_Gemili) March 24, 2020
The Olympic Games #Tokio2020 will be postponed due to #COVIDー19
I saw it coming, but I simply can’t believe it!https://t.co/PnjHMVXVai— Gesa Krause (@GesaFK) March 23, 2020
No doubt this will be an emotional day for many athletes, but it is the right decision. It’s just one of those sacrifices we all have to make to protect those that are most vulnerable surely an unwritten part of the @Olympics spirit. Time for everyone to step up however u can https://t.co/ut4q4MMClw
— Gary Ryan (@GaryJohnRyan) March 24, 2020
The right decision. A tough one for athletes but they know this is bigger than sport. Special shoutout to athletes such as @Tina_Desmond working on the front line during this crisis. Looking forward to roaring everybody on next year when Covid 19 is behind us 🇮🇪💪🇮🇪 https://t.co/OM3peIlNnF
— Olive Loughnane (@OliveLoughnane) March 24, 2020
The goal stays the same 🔥 #Tokyo2021 https://t.co/bGq1IKm9Gj
— Ciara Neville (@ciara_nev100) March 24, 2020
The @Olympics in @Tokyo2020/2021. It now has the potential to be the greatest show of unity, of life and of sport the world has ever seen. Let's crush #COVID19 #togtherapart pic.twitter.com/h3Cyj62Mk4
— Brendan Boyce (@brendanboyce) March 24, 2020
Olympics Postponed until 2021… The vision stays the same 🥇 pic.twitter.com/XPDvP4h1sC
— Rhys Mcclenaghan (@McClenaghanRhys) March 24, 2020
FINALLY The OLYMPICS OFFICIALLY postponed for a year!! No box of Wheaties for me today. #breakfastofchampions pic.twitter.com/BAtlDUliQE
— Lolo Jones (@lolojones) March 24, 2020
Just a thought from my child..
" you could get pregnant now, have a baby girl and then get back training for Olympics"
Must love the positivity. #tokyo2021#COVID19— Sanita Puspure (@SanitaPuspure) March 24, 2020
We are a resilient group. This is just a hiccup in our journey.
We will be ready to go for #Tokyo2021
🇺🇸👊🏼 pic.twitter.com/xm1b9byWGI— Delaney Spaulding (@DelaneyyLyn) March 24, 2020
Same goals, different year, more time to prepare and equal opportunities for everyone!
2021 I'll be there! 💪🏽🍀🖤💛❤️#roadtotokyo2021 #lovemyjob #adeps #teambelgium 🇧🇪
📸: @bramcops https://t.co/oGFbQAepvY
— Miss Lecluyse (@FannyLecluyse) March 25, 2020
Athletes like certainty. The decision to postpone is very disappointing for all preparing over the last four years and more, but it is the right decision and provides certainty. Time for a short reset and as a HP community we'll drive forward again to Tokyo in 2021. #COVID19
— Liam Harbison (@LiamHarbison) March 24, 2020
BIG news and it’s the right call. #Tokyo2020 postponed. Of course we have bigger things to worry about right now, but on a sporting side, there’s going to be a few nations thankful for 12months more preparation! https://t.co/cQ5ZK4Ee8w
— Mark Cavendish (@MarkCavendish) March 24, 2020
All in all a very wise decision to postpone the Olympics until 2021. I look forward to come back to Japan to defend my Olympic title next year and look forward to witness a wonderful event. I wish everybody good health in these challenging times. pic.twitter.com/jrhsFEe545
— Eliud Kipchoge – EGH🇰🇪 (@EliudKipchoge) March 24, 2020
No problem, we can wait.#Tokyo2021
Stay safe everyone pic.twitter.com/kwR8LIRE37— Kevin MAYER (@mayer_decathlon) March 24, 2020
Not denied. Just delayed. pic.twitter.com/Rbrk40id4T
— Tianna T. Bartoletta (@tibartoletta) March 23, 2020
— Alec Yoder (@AlecYoder) March 24, 2020
Olympics postponed until summer 2021… Whatever it takes to beat the corona virus. Let's hope for the best and let's make sure we'll celebrate even harder in next year! 🙏🏼 #Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/wY9vmFQCDQ
— Dafne Schippers (@dafneschippers) March 24, 2020
As we stand together to meet today’s challenges, we can dream about a wonderful Olympics in a beautiful country. Now is the time to support all those working to heal the sick and keep us all healthy. pic.twitter.com/RsLuidzeYw
— Katie Ledecky (@katieledecky) March 24, 2020
London 2012 🇬🇧 🟢
Rio 2016 🇧🇷 🟢
Tokyo 2021 🇯🇵 🔜Thankful to finally have some clarity regarding The Olympic Games. A huge decision but I think the right one for sure.
Time to regain, look after each other during this difficult period and go again when the time is right! pic.twitter.com/l1NjjUUmMy
— Adam Gemili (@Adam_Gemili) March 24, 2020
3/3 As far as my sporting future is concerned, the decision obviously has an impact. I will take my time and discuss my options together with my family and team before coming to a decision in the weeks to come. All the best to everyone! 📸Tiziano Ballabio pic.twitter.com/h0AhJHGdXH
— Nicola Spirig (@NicolaSpirig) March 24, 2020
Postponing the Olympics to 2021 is the best decision for me. Today we are all struggling with a much bigger problem and although August still seems far away, the security for such a big event was very difficult. So @Olympics see you in 2021! 👊 #olympics #tokyo2020 ph: @pocispix pic.twitter.com/TPg5WkwP6m
— Elia Viviani (@eliaviviani) March 24, 2020
🇺🇸 #Tokyo2021 pic.twitter.com/rODnFjBpBM
— Jordan Burroughs (@alliseeisgold) March 24, 2020
As needed as it is, 💔😢😔 for every athletes especially gymnasts who’ve started this journey so young,worked as hard of even harder for this….BUT We will regroup and “replan” to get back strong for 2021! A new story begins 💪🏻 https://t.co/q4bulRMrRM
— Cecile Landi (@CLcecile) March 24, 2020
Welp…I guess I’ve never really had perfect vision anyway #2020vision #2021vision? However, in all seriousness, this is a really hard subject to talk about right now. pic.twitter.com/vIMSHGb6G9
— Karissa Schweizer (@KarissaSchweiz4) March 23, 2020
The 2021 Olympics, a first time in the history of the quadrennial sporting event’s history that will break away from its 4 year gap, and the first cancellation since the 1940 and 1944 Olympics during the Second World War.
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