The Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games have been postponed until 2021 due to the Coronavirus pandemic which has affected the sporting world exponentially.
The event which was due to begin on 24 July; it included of course tennis on it's calendar with Andy Murray; as it's defending champion from Rio four years ago.
It originally backtracked from being decided in four weeks to around 48 hours; after pressure from multiple countries and athletes who were set to withdraw if it went ahead.
It will like the Euro 2020 football tournament still be called Tokyo 2020; despite it being held in 2021.
This marks a new dilemma for the tennis calendar with the suspension of the ATP and WTA Tour until June 7, 2020; meaning that if it does return, Wimbledon will likely be the first Grand Slam; followed by a sizeable gap of a few weeks until the American Hard Court Swing and French Clay Court swing begins.
As a result, it could give Wimbledon scope to reschedule for a few weeks after if needed; with only Hamburg of note on the Clay set to be played; up until the original Olympic date.
Statement from IOC and Tokyo 2020
The organisers of Tokyo 2020 and the IOC released the following joint statement this morning:
"The unprecedented and unpredictable spread of the outbreak has seen the situation in the rest of the world deteriorating.
"On Monday, the director general of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said that the Covid-19 pandemic is 'accelerating'.
"There are more than 375,000 cases now recorded worldwide and in nearly every country, and their number is growing by the hour.
"In the present circumstances and based on the information provided by the WHO today [Tuesday], the IOC president and the prime minister of Japan have concluded that the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo must be rescheduled to a date beyond 2020 but not later than summer 2021; to safeguard the health of the athletes, everybody involved in the Olympic Games and the international community."
https://twitter.com/Tokyo2020/status/1242440149310435328?s=20
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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