People wearing protective face masks due to the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID 19) take pictures of an Omega clock, which was previously used as a countdown clock for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and currently displaying current time and date, after the announcement of the games’ postponement to the summer of 2021, in Tokyo, Japan, March 25, 2020. REUTERS/Issei Kato
TOKYO (Reuters) – Passers-by in front of Tokyo Station gathered around a popular Olympics countdown clock to take pictures on Wednesday as it stopped displaying the number of days until the Games after the event was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Tokyo 2020 Olympics had been scheduled to kick off on July 24, and on Tuesday the countdown was still showing 122 days as well as the hours, minutes and seconds until the open.
But on Wednesday the countdown had been replaced by the current date – “25-3” for March 25 in the days display – and the current time, after the International Olympic Committee decided to postpone the Games by one year.
The clock from sponsor Omega has been a draw for locals as well as tourists taking selfies in front of the iconic red-brick station building.
Reporting by Issei Kato, writing by Chris Gallagher; Editing by Himani Sarkar