(Photo: REUTERS/Dado Ruvic)

Tokyo Olympics reveal new planned dates for 2021

The organizers of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics announced that they will be holding the international sporting event in 2021 in the same time slot originally scheduled for this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Olympic organizers confirmed that the games will start on July 23, 2021, and the closing ceremony will commence on August 8.

This decision was made by a team including the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Government of Japan, International Paralympic Committee (IPC), and Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee. The team’s main goal through rescheduling is to solve the issue with the global international sports calendar, safeguard the interests of athletes, and protect the health of athletes and participants.

The ICO President, Thomas Bach, expressed his thanks for the cooperation and consultation of the International Federations and the Continential Associations of National Olympic Committees. Bach also said that the Olympic Games can be “a light at the end of this tunnel.”

The International Olympic Committee announces the new date for the games is July 23-Aug. 8 in 2021 pic.twitter.com/uJHOLC4p8B

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The President of the IPC, Andrew Parsons, says that announcing the new dates will give the world something to look forward to while reassuring the stakeholders. Parsons goes onto stress the importance of staying safe during this difficult unprecedented time. The Paralympic Games were also rescheduled for Aug. 24 to Sept. 5, 2021.

The governor, Koike Yuriko, explained that they have a schedule in place to ensure everything will be properly prepared for the games next year in compliance with the concern of the organizers, athletes, and other participants. President of the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee, Mori Yoshirō, says they will be working on utilizing the extra time to prepare and make the event safe as possible for the athletes and other participants.