An-Najah News - The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Japanese government finally succumbed to intense pressure from athletes and sporting bodies around the worldwhen they agreed to put back the Games until 2021,the decision came out  after the coronavirus crisis forced organizers into an unprecedented postponement.

It was a huge blow to Japan, which has invested $12 billion in preparations,Japan Olympic Committee (JOC) President Yasuhiro Yamashita said that the decision had come earlier than he thought it would, but that he was determined the host nation’s athletes would be ready to compete in 2021.

Tuesday’s decision came 122 days before the planned opening ceremony at Japan’s newly built National Stadium, which was tousher in the 16-day event featuring 11,000 athletes from 206nations and 

Although 14 major corporations have indicated they would remain in the IOC’s global partnership program despite the delay, local organizers might have some negotiating to do to retain their own Games-specific sponsors.