The Tokyo 2020 Olympics will be postponed until 2021, the office of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced on Tuesday.

Abe said after his telephone talks with Bach that he requested a postponement “taking into consideration the current circumstances” and to secure an environment in which athletes can perform at their best and crowds can be safe and secure.

He added that he hoped to reschedule the Olympics as a proof of human victory over the coronavirus pandemic.

Abe held telephone talks with Bach after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said it would make a decision on the Tokyo Games over the next four weeks.

Abe said he expects the pandemic to be over by next year and the Olympics can be held by the summer of 2021 at the latest.

The decision to postpone the Games was announced in a joint statement released by the IOC and the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee. 

"In the present circumstances and based on the information provided by the WHO today, the IOC President and the Prime Minister of Japan have concluded that the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo must be rescheduled to a date beyond 2020 but not later than summer 2021, to safeguard the health of the athletes, everybody involved in the Olympic Games and the international community."