The Olympic torch has been extinguished, earlier this week the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided to postpone the 2020 Summer Olympic Games due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID-19 has altered life in the United States, having canceled and postponed music festivals all over the nation, but it has also made impacts on the international community.

This year the Summer Olympic Games were supposed to host 206 national teams from participating nations. With the ceremonies, already underway, the IOC was hopeful to continue with the games as scheduled.

The games, which were scheduled to begin on July 24, had been set in motion on March 12 when the Olympic relay commenced began in Olympia, Greece.

The pandemic had already caused problems a week before the official postponement.

With growing concerns over the safety of their athletes, Canada and Australia in separate official statements declared that would not send any athletes to the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

With the growing pressure of the international community and the alarming spread of the virus, the IOC officially postponed the games on March 24.

The games were pushed back a whole year and will now take place on July 23, 2021. Even though the games will take place in the following year they will still retain the name Tokyo 2020.

Here, one of the biggest music festivals was also postponed. The Coachella Fest will be taking place in October of this year.

The games, which take place every 4 years, seems to be able to handle the pushed back. While a year may seem like a long time to wait, officials said it is necessary.

Now the IOC’s official website states, “These new dates give the health authorities and all involved in the organization of the Games the maximum time to deal with the constantly changing landscape and the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

In the same statement Governor Koike Yuriko said, “In consideration of the global coronavirus outbreak, we need a certain time frame before we fully prepare for the delivery of Games that are safe and secure for the athletes and spectators.”

The IOC’s decision marks the first time in modern history the Olympics have ever been postponed. The only other time the Olympics schedule was drastically disrupted was in 1944 when WWII caused the Olympics to be canceled.

Japan, like the rest of the world, is trying to battle the COVID-19 outbreak and in one year the Olympic games will be able to unify the world as people cheer together for the Olympians.

For more information on the International Olympic Committee’s decision visit their website at www.olympic.org.