Following discussions surrounding the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the decision to move the Games from summer 2020 to summer 2021 was made between the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the International Paralympic Committee, the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the Tokyo Government of Japan.
The Olympics Games Tokyo 2020 will now take place from July 23 - August 8, 2021, with the decision including new dates for the Paralympic Games, which will run from August 24 - Sept 5, 2021. However, the Games will still be called Tokyo 2020 despite taking place in 2021.
The IOC outlined three main considerations that factored into the decision making: 1) To protect the health of the athletes and everyone involved, and to support the containment of the COVID-19 virus. 2) To safeguard the interests of the athletes and of Olympic sport. 3) The global international sports calendar.
These new dates will give the health authorities and everyone involved in the organisation of the Games adequate time to deal with the constantly changing landscape and the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, a statement by the IOC said, adding that the new dates, exactly one year after those originally planned for 2020, also have the added benefit that any disruption that the postponement will cause to the international sports calendar to be kept to a minimum, in the interests of the athletes and the IFs. It was also confirmed that the new dates will provide sufficient time to finish the qualification process, with the same heat mitigation measures as planned for 2020 will be implement.
Thomas Bach, the IOC President, said: “With this announcement, I am confident that, working together with the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the Japanese Government and all our stakeholders, we can master this unprecedented challenge. Humankind currently finds itself in a dark tunnel. These Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 can be a light at the end of this tunnel.”
For more information one the Games, visit: www.olympic.org