Two months after securing berths to the Olympics, some of Asian football's top prospects faced the possibility of having to miss out on the tournament after the Tokyo Games were postponed to 2021 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
But the dream to perform on one of the biggest stages lives on for many, after FIFA announced on Friday that the men's tournament -- originally an under-23 tournament with the exception of three overage players -- will have its age limit raised to allow the participation of players who would have become ineligible after this year.
Imposing the original age limit would have meant cutting out scores of young players who only realised their Olympic dreams at the end of January after the 2020 AFC U-23 Championship.
South Korea won the tournament. They, along with runners-up Saudi Arabia and third-placed Australia, earned the right to join hosts Japan as Asia's four representatives at the Tokyo Games.
As the coronavirus pandemic escalated and it was confirmed that the Games would be pushed back by a year, Australia was the first country to call for the age criteria to be amended. Olyroos stars Thomas Deng and Alex Gersbach, who played pivotal roles in earning qualification, would have been ineligible to play in 2021.
South Korea followed suit and, had the limit not been amended, it would have robbed them of the services of Won Du-jae, the MVP in January's tournament, captain Lee Sang-min and playmaker Lee Dong-gyeong to name but a few.
In total, 42% (39 out of 92) of the players -- many of whom were starting XI members -- that were selected for South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Australia and Japan at the AFC U-23s would have been ineligible had the criteria not been amended.
And it would not have just been a case of individuals missing out on their chance to compete in a major tournament.
A team like Japan is renowned for looking ahead and setting bigger goals down the horizon. They often sacrifice success at age-group competitions in favour of longer-term success further down the line.
The Samurai Blue already had an eye on the Tokyo Games at the previous AFC U-23 Championship in 2018 -- fielding a squad entirely of Under-21 players in hopes that they would not only gain valuable experience taking on older, stronger opposition but also have more time to play together as a team.
There is also the matter of mandatory military service for the South Koreans, which they have to serve by the time they turn 28 -- the age where many a footballer often hit their peak.
Bringing sporting glory to the nation can earn military exemption and it worked in the favour of prominent Taegeuk Warriors past and present such as Park Ji-sung (semi-finalist at the 2002 World Cup), Ki Sung-yueng and Koo Ja-cheol (bronze medal at the 2012 Olympics), and Son Heung-min (gold medal at the 2018 Asian Games).
Won, Lee Dong-gyeong and Lee Sang-min now at least have the prospect of following in these footsteps.
Over the past 12 months or so, Asian football has shown it has many talented youngsters who are ready to showcase their abilities on the international stage, including flying Japanese winger Keita Endo and Saudi Arabia's Abdulrahman Ghareeb.
The right decision was made to afford Asia's brightest young talent the chance to realise their Olympic dream, even if it's a year late.