The new dates of the Tokyo Olympics have been
finalized.
Less
than a week after announcing that the Games would be postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic,
organizers decided Monday on a new start date of July 23, 2021. The
closing ceremony will be held on Aug. 8.
The
Tokyo Olympics had previously been slated to start almost exactly one year
earlier, running from July 24 through Aug. 9.
"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," the IOC said in a news release.
A postponement of roughly one
year had long been thought to be the most logical and likely outcome, given the
logistical hurdles involved with the alternatives.
IOC president Thomas Bach had left open the possibility of holding the Games in the
spring, which would have featured more favorable weather and
allowed Japan to show off its famous cherry blossom trees. But springtime would
have presented significant logistical challenges and possibly prevented top athletes in sports like basketball from
competing altogether.
The question now is whether a
one-year postponement will be long enough.
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