Possible date for Tokyo Olympics revealed

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is working with sports bodies to arrange a July-August window for the postponed Tokyo Olympics in 2021, John Coates, the IOC’s Coordination Commission chief for Tokyo, said.

Report informs, citing Reuters, that the IOC and Japanese government succumbed to intense pressure from athletes and sporting bodies around the world on Tuesday, agreeing to push back the Games by as much as a year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Games would have to be held between the tennis Grand Slams of Wimbledon, slated to end in mid-July, and the US Open, which starts in late August, Yomiuri newspaper quotes Coates as saying.

Coates, who is also president of the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC), said the summer scheduling would be dependent on avoiding clashes with the world championships for swimming (July 16-Aug. 1) and athletics (Aug. 6-15).

World Athletics boss Sebastian Coe has said the world athletics championships in Eugene, Oregon, could be moved back to 2022 if necessary.

The Tokyo Olympics became the first postponed Olympic Games in modern history.

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared a coronavirus pandemic on March 11. The world has already recorded more than 416,000 cases of infection in 196 countries. Over 18,500 people have died.