Report: Japanese Prime Minister Says 2021 Will Be Last Option For Tokyo Olympics

Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe reportedly told the IOC that 2021 is "the last option," for hosting the Olympics.

IOC president Thomas Bach was reportedly told by Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe that 2021 is the "last option," for the Tokyo Olympics, according to the BBC. 

Tokyo was slated to hold the Olympics in 2020, but the games were postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"You cannot every year change the entire sports schedule worldwide of all the major federations. You cannot have the athletes being in uncertainty," Bach told Roan. "You cannot have so much overlapping with a future Olympic Games, so I have some understanding for this approach by our Japanese partners.”

“When we have a clear view on how the world will look on July 23, 2021, then [we will] take the appropriate decisions,” he added.

Bach and the IOC have not determined whether a COVID-19 vaccine is necessary to host the Olympics. 

"We are relying on the advice of the World Health Organization,” Bach said. “We have established one principle: to organize these Games in a safe environment for all the participants. Nobody knows what the world will look like in one year, in two months."

The 2021 Tokyo Olympics are now slated to be held from July 24 to Aug. 9.