Japan, IOC set July 23 next year for start of delayed Olympics
After last week’s postponement, new dates have been set for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The decision was taken Monday (March 30) after a conference call between the Tokyo 2020 organizers and the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
The new dates mean the rescheduled Olympics will begin on July 23, 2021 and will run until August 8, with the Paralympics starting just over two weeks later.
The Olympics was one of the last major sporting events to be canceled in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, but the IOC took the decision to ensure the safety of athletes and spectators.
Japan must now shift its attention to finalizing a new schedule and use of the venues for each of the 33 sports that make up this Olympic program.
Still to have its fate officially determined this year is the Wimbledon tennis championships.
Shifting the June and July, southwest London event later to the three-week window vacated by the Olympics is still an option for this year, but seems unlikely, given the current restrictions in preparing the All England club.
A decision is expected this week for the world’s most famous grass court tournament, but playing matches behind closed doors has already been ruled out.
