The Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo will take place one year after its original date. As announced by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) last week, the Games will open on July 23, 2021 and run until Aug. 8. This means a change in life plans for some athletes.

Competing in the Olympics has been a lifelong dream for Danusia Francis, 25, who represents Jamaica. She earned her spot at last year’s World Gymnastics Championships.

“As much as training for another year has a few cons, especially for someone toward the end of their career, like me, who’s ready for post-sport life, at the same time it gives us another year to get stronger, fitter and get some new skills,” Francis said. “Hopefully, the Olympics can be a beacon of hope at the end of this coronavirus pandemic.”

IOC President Thomas Bach said any athlete who qualified for the Olympics will keep that qualification for next year. This takes some of the stress off of Francis, who lives in the United Kingdom, which means right now she’s doing at-home workouts video conferencing in her coach.

New York Liberty player Kia Nurse helped the Canadian women’s national basketball team qualify for an Olympic spot earlier this year. After playing overseas in Australia, where her team won a championship, she returned home to Canada, where she’s hunkered down with her family.

“Obviously, a little bit disappointed in the sense of you’ve been training for this for four years and you want to have the opportunity to compete,” said Nurse, 24, a member of the Canadian Olympic team in 2016 in Rio. “It’s one of those feelings where you feel super grateful to have the opportunity whenever that opportunity comes.”

The start of WNBA season is being postponed. At present, a start date hasn’t been announced. Nurse is doing home workouts. “To make sure that I can stay in as good a shape as possible while maintaining safety for myself and my family,” she said.

Nurse is in touch with Canadian teammates via group chat. While people are staying in shape, it’s also a time that allows a brief pause to focus on being healthy and following the protocols from health officials.

“It’s not very hard to keep spirits up about the Olympics because it’s the Olympics and you don’t always get guaranteed an opportunity to play in them,” said Nurse, who is excited to join the Liberty when it’s safe to do so. “It’s not hard to motivate people. They want to be in an Olympics and they know this is their opportunity to do so.”