CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Thursday marks exactly one year until the opening ceremonies of the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
The games were pushed back due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and now some experts say even with a one-year delay, it still might not be safe enough to hold the games.
Even with an extra year to prepare, some scientists believe there's no way Tokyo will be able to host the 2021 Olympics. You might ask yourself, "but what about the promising results of COVID-19 vaccine trials?"
Here's the thing. Even if there is a vaccine is developed by then, and that's a big assumption, it probably won't be widely available by next summer. And even then, there are serious ethical questions about administering thousands of doses to some of the world's most fit athletes before more vulnerable portions of the population.
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Now, experts do say Olympic organizers can alter the games to make them safer, from not having fans or an Olympic village to even axing the opening and closing ceremonies. But then some wonder what's the point of even having the Olympics if they can't operate like normal?
Whatever they decide, this will be the last shot to pull off the 2020, err, 2021 Olympics during the pandemic. Organizers say there won't be another delay, there simply wouldn't be Olympics in 2021.