Organizers have finalized new dates for Tokyo Olympics. The mega event will now start from 23rd July 2021. The closing ceremony will be held on 8th Aug.
The development came almost a week after the host Japan and IOC had decided to postpone the event to next year, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The Tokyo Olympics were originally supposed to begin from 24th July to 9th Aug 2020.
"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.
Tokyo organizing committee president Yoshiro Mori said the cost of moving the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will be “massive.” Before the postponement, the estimated cost of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics was about $12.6 billion. While previous Olympics have been canceled, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics are the first ever to be postponed.
0 Comments