Japan has unwittingly made history after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's announcement that the Tokyo 2020 Games would become the first Olympics ever to be postponed.
The announcement Tuesday of a one-year deferral for the quadrennial sporting event amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic marks the beginning of a fresh chapter in what had already seemed an uphill battle for Japan. In the coming weeks and months, the country will essentially start from scratch as it renegotiates an intricate web of sponsorship deals, venue reservations and other contracts before restarting preparations to hold the games next year.
Whether the nation is able to deliver this massive undertaking — and how — could reverberate through future Olympic and Paralympic Games as either a success story or a cautionary tale.
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