On March 24, 2020, athletes all around the world learned some devastating and heartbreaking news. That is the day that the Olympic Committee decided that they would have to postpone the 2020 summer Olympics until 2021 due to the coronavirus. This news created headlines all over the world, as athletes were going to have to wait another year in order to compete for their country in the Olympics, which happen every four years.

Many athletes have trained their entire lives in order to reach a level where they would be able to compete at the Olympics, however, that chance was taken away from them and postponed one more year. For these athletes, that meant a year more of waiting, a year more of intense training, a year more of watching everything they eat, drink, say, do, and everything in between that separates them from the rest of the world and makes them some of the best athletes on the planet. 

One can only begin to imagine all the hardwork and dedication that it takes in order to prepare for the Olympics. All of the hours these athletes spend training, along with making sure on is eating right, drinking right, getting lots of sleep, staying focused on your goals, keeping mentally in check with what is going on and also keeping focused on what you hope to accomplish in your sport. These athletes had to focus on all of these things for an entire extra year so that they could continue in their Olympic dreams. Caeleb Dressel, the United States biggest swimming star, told ESPN, “This is life and death. This is bigger than sports. Humanity should go before anybody’s job or swim meet or anything.The way I look at it this is an extra year to prepare myself physically, emotionally, spiritually. If I keep talking about how much I love swimming, it shouldn’t matter that it’s been moved a year. This is my obsession. This is what I do”

Another factor that comes into play with pushing off the Olympics another year is age. Some athletes that we all know such as Serena Williams (tennis) or Nathan Adrian (swimming) are beginning to get old. The older you get in sports, it makes it harder for you to keep your body in the best shape possible and beat out these younger kids that are all coming after you in hope of the same goal. Having to push the Olympics off another year just means that they are getting older and it gives all these younger athletes the opportunity to surpass them and take their spot on the Olympic team. 

2021 brings new hopes for people all around the world. July 23, 2021 is the planned start for the summer Olympics in Tokyo, and athletes cannot wait for them to start. The Olympics are a way of bringing the world together as athletes compete for their home country in hopes to represent them proudly and possibly take home the gold. Historically, the United States has always done pretty well in the Olympics, as we have the most medals of any country with 1,127 gold, 907 silver and 794 bronze medals. The United States has led all countries in total medal count 9 times in the last 16 summer Olympics, which is more than any other country, according to topendsports

In conclusion, the 2020 summer Olympics being postponed was definitely disappointing for many people. However, that just gave people something to look forward to as 2021 begins and now that it is more safe around the world, the athletes will be able to compete once again to determine who is the best in the world.