In the complicated and Vatican way of communicating its most difficult decisions, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) informed the world yesterday Sunday March 22 that it will be very difficult, if not impossible, that the Olympic flame will ignite in the cauldron of the Tokyo Olympic Stadium next 24 July.

After maintaining its position, firm as a rock not to touch the Games despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the IOC chaired by Thomas Bach announced that "it opens a period of four weeks to analyze the development of the global health crisis day for day and its impact on the Games, including the ability to postpone them." "A simple cancellation would not solve any problems or help anyone," said the statement released Sunday afternoon after it became known that Bach had urgently called his executive committee. "Cancellation is not on our agenda."

According to various sources, the preferred date by the IOC and the organizing committee would have been in the months of September and October, the same period of time as the 1964 Games, the previous Olympic event in the Japanese capital. However, those months are both the weather monsoon period and the months chosen by other major international competitions that have had to postpone their championships. Furthermore, there is no guarantee that the coronavirus pandemic will be under control ever since.

Delaying them for a year, until July 2021, would be difficult because odd years celebrate their world championships in athletics, swimming and gymnastics, the three main Olympic sports. Leaving them for 2022, taking advantage of the fact that the Qatar World Cup will take place in December and the Winter Games in January, would be the third scenario expected.

The Tokyo event was the only major world sporting event that clung to its dates despite the fact that the vast majority of its main players (they would be expected by 11,000 athletes from 206 countries), could train normally despite the world he still does not know how and when he will overcome the health pandemic that has practically paralyzed the life of his cities, despite the great economic recession that is expected after the height of the public health crisis.

The final date will be chosen jointly by the IOC with the government of Japan after hearing the opinion of the World Health Organization (WHO).

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who wanted to keep the Games scheduled as a demonstration of humanity's power and victory against the virus that makes societies live in an exceptional state, is also giving in to common sense.

The IOC will have to renegotiate with the television companies (the Discovery channel, owner of Eurosport, has all the rights for Europe) the billions of euros in which it sold the transmission of the Games and with all its main sponsors. The millions of euros that will be collected by the organizing committee for the sale of tickets are also at risk and, as the IOC recognizes, the problems that will generate the modification of millions of nights of hotel reservations are incalculable.