Next year’s Tokyo Olympics will now officially open on 23 July 2021 – 364 days later than planned – in order to give organisers the time needed to prepare after the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, The Guardian reports.
The decision was confirmed by the International Olympic Committee following a conference call between its president, Thomas Bach, and the international sports federations on Monday. Bach gave them one choice of a new date – 23 July to 8 August – before asking the federations for a show of support, which was unanimous.
The move, which was widely expected after last week’s decision to postpone the Games, means the 2021 swimming championships are likely to move to 2022. World Athletics responded to the news by immediately confirming it planned to move the Eugene 2021 world championships by a year. Read more here.