Tokyo Olympics to kick off on July 23 next year

Tokyo Olympics to kick off on July 23 next year

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The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has confirmed that the Tokyo Olympics will take place between 23 July and 8 August next year and the Paralympic Games will now take place on 24 August to 5 September. A decision to postpone the Olympic and Paralympic Games was taken last week.

After talks between Japan’s prime minister, Shinzo Abe, and the International Olympic Committee president, Thomas Bach, the decision to postpone the Tokyo Olympics were taken. Bach had agreed “100%” that a postponement was the most appropriate response to the global disruption that has been caused due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On Monday, the International Olympic Committee confirmed the news that the Tokyo Olympics will take place between 23 July and 8 August next year.

“These new dates give the health authorities and all involved in the organisation of the Games the maximum time to deal with the constantly changing landscape and the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic,” the statement read, reported The Guardian.

“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 can be kept to a minimum, in the interests of the athletes and the international federations. Additionally, they will provide sufficient time to finish the qualification process. The same heat mitigation measures as planned for 2020 will be implemented.”

The publication has also quoted Tokyo 2020’s organising committee president Yoshiro Mori as saying that he had proposed the 23 July to 8 August timeframe to the IOC and that Bach had agreed following consultations with the international sports federations.

“A certain amount of time is required for the selection and qualification of athletes and for their training and preparation, and the consensus was that staging the rescheduled Games during the summer vacation in Japan would be preferable. In terms of transport, arranging volunteers and the provision of tickets for those in Japan and overseas, as well as allowing for the Covid-19 situation, we think that it would be better to reschedule the Games to one year later than planned, in the summer of 2021.”

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