In the wake of deepening coronavirus outbreak, the International Olympic Committee IOC and Japanese organisers postponed the Olympics until 2021 which came as a disappointment for athletic fans across the world. In a recent statement, the organisers have announced new schedule dates on Monday. In a decision taken to give the maximum time needed for the organisers to prepare after the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Tokyo Olympics would start on July 23, 2021, and run until August 8th.
According to the new schedule, the opening ceremony will take place on July 23, 2021 coinciding with the blooming of Japan’s famous cherry blossoms. Announcing the same, Thomas Bach, the President of IOC stated- “Humankind currently finds itself in a dark tunnel. These Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 can be a light at the end of this tunnel.”
This delay was registered to be for the first time in the 124-year history of the modern Olympics which came as a major jolt to for Japan, which invested $13 billion. The country also raised about $3 billion from domestic sponsors. Earlier, Olympics planned for 1940 in Tokyo were cancelled because of World War II.
