The 2021 Olympics Just Wrapped, But The Wait For The Next Games Isn't Long

The Tokyo Olympics have officially come to an end. After months of delays and health concerns, this year’s Summer Games finally brought athletes from all over the world together in the name of competition and community. Although the Olympics just wrapped up, you may find yourself wondering: When are the next Olympics? The wait isn’t long.

Next up are the Tokyo 2020 Summer Paralympic Games, which will be held between August 24 and September 5. Disabled athletes from over 100 countries will compete in Japan’s capital city, and badminton and taekwondo will be introduced for the first time.

Just like the Olympics, the Paralympics are being watched with intense scrutiny because of COVID-related issues in Japan. A recent state of emergency was declared in Tokyo (where infections have recently skyrocketed to their highest levels since January 2021) and the country also has a low vaccination rate. However, Japan has enforced mandatory quarantines for foreign visitors and placed a heavy emphasis on social distancing and mask-wearing, so hopefully the Paralympics will also run smoothly.

Since the 2020 Olympics were pushed back a year, viewers won’t have to endure the typical two-year wait between the Summer and Winter Games. The Beijing Olympic Games are mere months away, taking place from February 4 to February 20, 2022. This will make Beijing the first city to host both a Summer and Winter Olympics in history, and per TODAY, the Games will feature a record 109 events.

Although the number of in-person spectators at the Summer Olympics was strictly limited due to coronavirus concerns, the International Olympic Committee reportedly hopes to host a much larger number of in-person spectators in Beijing. “We want to have the opportunity for everybody to enjoy the hospitality and enjoy the great Chinese offers,” IOC coordination commission head Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr. told Reuters.

Next up are the Paris Summer Olympics, which are slated to take place from July 26 to August 11, 2024. The competition is set to introduce four new sports: Breakdancing, sport climbing, skateboarding, and surfing. I’ll personally be counting down the days until the breakdancing competition begins, but until then, way more Olympics content is headed your way.