The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Japanese organisers have announced that the new dates for the Summer Games to be held in Tokyo are from July 23-August 8, 2021. The mega event was postponed due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The new dates were agreed to on Monday as the Games' chief executive, Toshiro Muto, said the committee was moving "in the direction" of honouring tickets bought for the 2020 Games, or providing refunds in case of scheduling changes.
"We want to honour the hopes of all those who purchased the tickets amid high demand," Muto told a news conference.
The delay is a huge blow for Japan which has invested USD 13 billion to host the event, with all its venues ready much ahead of time.
However, there had been intense pressure on the IOC and the Japanese government amid the spread of the novel coronavirus which resulted in the eventual postponement.
