This year has been anything but normal to say the least, and the COVID-19 pandemic has now grown so large that it has created another unprecedented change—the postponement of the 2020 Summer Olympics.

As COVID-19 has swept from country to country, athletes have had to set aside their training, as they have been forced inside and quarantined until further notice. One of the biggest groups of athletes affected by this is the Olympic athletes.

Many people were looking forward to the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, as they could use them to distract from the craziness this year already has brought to them. Unfortunately, no longer will they be looking forward to this this year, as the IOC (International Olympic Committee) has decided to postpone the 2020 Summer Olympic Games until 2021.

This is the first time in history that something like this has happened, but the IOC is intent on preserving the health of their athletes and attendees and hopes to still play these games as soon as possible.

“The health and well-being of human life must always be our number one priority, and staging a sporting event of any kind during this pandemic is simply not possible. Sport is not the most important thing right now, preserving human life is. It is essential, therefore, that all steps are taken to try to limit the spread of this disease,” International Paralympic Committee president Andrew Parsons said.

Although the news is disappointing, we are thankful for the efforts to protect the health of our athletes and hope to see them play again soon.