Olympics postponed: Madrid was a candidate for these Games...

As was to be expected, the IOC has finally thrown in the towel. It was natural that the body would cling on to any remote hope, but unfortunately reality has bitten. It’s not unreasonable to believe that Tokyo would be over the crisis by the time of the Games’ July start, but the virus has spread to the West and now Europe is paralysed, leaving its athletes unable to prepare. And then there’s the Americas, where the pandemic is now starting to make its presence felt; they’ll have to go through what we’re currently going through here. So holding a proper Olympics this summer just wasn’t possible. Now it’s a case of looking at the calendar.

When they do happen, the Tokyo Olympics will be a celebration of our return to normality

It remains to be seen when, because the international sporting schedule is a packed one. Major competition follows major competition, all neatly staggered throughout the years. That’s more important than ever nowadays, as they all depend on big-money television deals. Finding a space for the Olympics that doesn’t clash with something big in football, or a major event in the US, or a world championship of some sort, with schedules set and TV contracts signed, won’t be easy. When the Games do happen, though, they’ll represent humanity’s victory in its fight against an invisible enemy. That will make them unforgettable.

Madrid was a candidate for these Olympics. What a let-down it was seven years ago, in Buenos Aires! It was the city’s third try. In Singapore, London won out, and in Copenhagen, Rio Janeiro. We went to Argentina with high hopes, optimistic that our persistence would pay off. However, our financial crisis-conscious bid didn’t go down well. Tokyo won with a proposal that promised to splash the cash - but then had to cut back, pulling its Games into line with what Madrid had put forward. If we had won, we’d be in a bind right now, but with the prospect, in a few months or a year, of holding an event that is set to celebrate the return to normality.

*Since this article was published in its original Spanish, it has been announced that the Tokyo Olympics will be postponed until 2021, taking place "not later than summer".