2020 Olympic delay puts Japan in a spin; athletes, media welcome decision

The Tokyo Shimbun headlined its coverage "surprise and embarrassment", but conceded in an article that the situation left organisers and Olympic officials with few options

Japan's media and athletes reacted with disappointment Wednesday to the postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, but expressed relief the Games had not been cancelled altogether over the coronavirus pandemic.

The postponement, unprecedented in peacetime, came after heavy pressure from athletes around the world and followed an admission from Japan's prime minister that a delay was now "inevitable".

But there was still shock and disappointment in Japan, where the Games have been promoted as the "Recovery Olympics", intended to showcase reconstruction after the devastating 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster.

The Nikkei business daily said Japan had avoided the worst-case