By Precise Post Staff
Abuja (Precise Post) – The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has confirmed that the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games have been rescheduled to start on July 23, 2021 after being postponed due to coronavirus.
The Games will run until August 8, taking up the same slot as originally scheduled for 2020, while the Paralympic Games will now take place from August 24 to September 5.
“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,” a joint statement from the IOC, International Paralympic Committee, Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee and Japanese Government read.
“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 Executive Board of the Organisers of Tokyo 2020 met on Monday and announced the required number of volunteers had been reached, and will now be asking those who have confirmed their roles if they would participate in the rescheduled Games.
Torchbearers who were confirmed for the postponed Torch Relay will also be given priority selection for next year’s Olympic Torch Relay.
Organisers are working on measures to ensure purchased tickets will be valid for corresponding rescheduled events next year and that face value refunds are given to ticket holders who cannot attend events in 2021.
In addition, the organisers have announced all 18 Olympic Test events from April 2020 onwards are postponed.
Meanwhile, all athletes who had qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics will keep their spots for the Games next year. The IOC also said the amount of spots allocated for each sport at the Games would remain the same next year.
“The 57 per cent that are qualified do remain in place and the goal is to maintain the same athlete quotas across the different sports,” an IOC official said.
The virus has wreaked havoc with sports schedules and forced the cancellation of Olympic qualifiers across many sports. Athletes have also been restricted in their training due to measures taken to stop the spread.
Though a huge blow to Japan, which has invested $12bn (£9.8bn) in the run-up to the Games, the decision to postpone was a relief to thousands of athletes fretting over training, with the world heading into lockdown to fight a disease that has killed thousands of people.
