We initially reported on the cancellation and postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Now, more optimistic news: The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has, alongside several other committees and the Japanese government, set the new dates for the summer Olympics: July 2021.

IOC President Thomas Bach, Tokyo 2020 President Mori Yoshirō, Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko, and Olympic and Paralympic Minister Hashimoto Seiko all met via teleconference to hash out the details: The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 will be celebrated from July 23, 2021, to August 8, 2021, and the Paralympic Games will be celebrated from August 24, 2021, to September 5, 2021. These dates are nearly exactly one year after the original schedule for the 2020 Olympics, and should give global authorities and athletes the necessary time to deal with this pandemic in order to participate in a safe tournament.

IOC President Bach summarized their decision inspiringly: "With this announcement, I am confident that, working together with the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the Japanese Government and all our stakeholders, we can master this unprecedented challenge. Humankind currently finds itself in a dark tunnel. These Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 can be a light at the end of this tunnel."

For more on what's been delayed or cancelled during the coronavirus pandemic, click here. And please stay safe and sane, friends.