The rescheduled Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games will open on July 23 next year, with the Closing Ceremony taking place on August 8.
Agreement was reached by Tokyo 2020 and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on the new dates for the Games today.
Dates in both the northern hemisphere spring and summer had been considered by organisers, following the declaration last week that the Games would take place “no later than the summer of 2021” because of the coronavirus outbreak.
The now-confirmed schedule of July 23 to August 8 was believed to be favoured.
Tokyo 2020 President Yoshirō Mori spoke in favour of summer dates last week, while IOC Coordination Commission chair John Coates had said the organisation was working with International Federations to find a window in July and August of next year.
Full confirmation was given by Mori and Tokyo 2020 chief executive Toshirō Mutō in the Japanese capital today.
This year’s Olympics were due to begin on July 24 and run to August 9, while the Paralympic Games will now take place from August 24 to September 5.
This means the original schedule for both Games has shifted back one day, a year on.
“IOC President Thomas Bach and the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee held a conference call today to discuss in detail the revised dates of the Tokyo 2020 Games,” said Mori.
“Minister for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games Hashimoto Seiko and Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko joined the call.
“I proposed that the Games should be hosted between July and August 2021, and I really appreciate that President Bach, having discussed this proposal with the various international sports federations and other related organisations, kindly accepted my proposal.
“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.
