The Tokyo Olympics will begin on July 23rd next year, organisers have announced today, after the covid-19 pandemic forced the historic decision to postpone the Games until 2021.
The announcement comes less than a week after the organisers were forced to delay the Games under heavy pressure from athletes and sports federations as the global outbreak worsened.
Tokyo 2020 will run until August 8th next year. The International Olympic Committee confirmed the new dates today after an IOC Executive Board meeting.
The Opening Ceremony of the 32nd Games had been scheduled for the 24 July this year and were forced to be postponed due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
The delay of one year was agreed by the board following discussions with the Tokyo 2020 organising committee and the International Federations.
In a statement, the IOC said the new dates would give health authorities and organisers "the maximum time to deal with the constantly changing landscape and the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic."
The decision would also cause "minimum" disruption to the international sports calendar, the body said.
