Right decision to postpone Olympics

The decision on Tuesday by Japan and the International Olympic Committee to postpone the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games－originally slated to start on July 24－until next summer because of the novel coronavirus pandemic must have been a hard one to make.

Although the Games have been canceled－three times in all, in 1916, 1940 and 1944－due to the two world wars, in the modern Olympics' history of more than 120 years, never before have any Games been postponed to a different year.

Nonetheless, the decision is the right one. If it is not brought under control, the harm done to human society by the pandemic could be more serious and far-reaching than even the two world wars. Given the number of countries affected and social and economic shock waves that have been caused by the rapid spread of the virus, postponing the Games is the only right and sensible choice to make.