The 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, are set to be officially been postponed, according to a senior member of the IOC.

It's likely the Games will be rescheduled for 2021.

After weeks of speculation that sport's biggest competition would still go ahead in spite of the coronavirus pandemic, senior member of the IOC Dick Pound said the following: 

"On the basis of the information the IOC has, postponement has been decided," he told USA Today.

"The parameters going forward have not been determined, but the Games are not going to start on July 24, that much I know." 

Pound, one of the IOC's most influential members, went on to outline the next steps, which will be officially announced soon.

"It will come in stages," the Canadian continued.

"We will postpone this and begin to deal with all the ramifications of moving this, which are immense."

Sports fans had long been confused as to why the Olympics, unlike virtually every other sporting event, had stood alone in maintaining that their current schedule would proceed.

Qualifying events for the Olympics have been hugely impacted by the spread of Covid-19 and many athletes have been unable to maintain their usual training programmes in self-isolation.

As a result, it only seemed logical that the Olympics are to be postponed in order to protect the health of the thousands of athletes and fans who were set to descend upon Japan as well as the integrity of the competition.

At times like these, sport has rightfully taken a backseat and the five coloured rings must be as universal in standing against this pandemic as it is in representing the flag of every nation struck by it.