Olympic Committee Announces New Dates for Summer Olympics

The Tokyo Olympics will begin on July 23, 2021, about one year after the games were originally scheduled to take place. “The schedule for the games is key to preparing for the games,” said Tokyo organizing committee president Yoshiro Mori. “This will only accelerate our progress.”

The summer games were originally scheduled to open on July 24, 2020 and end on August 9.

An agreement to postpone the games was reached last week between the International Olympic Committee and Japanese organizers due to the coronavirus pandemic wreaking havoc on populations globally. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe formally requested that the games be delayed.

Canada and Australia previously announced they would not send athletes to the 2020 Olympic Games if it were held this year over concerns about the outbreak. The British Olympic Association and USA Track and Field had also both demanded the games be postponed.