New dates announced for Olympic Games in Tokyo

New dates have been announced for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo that had to be postponed over the coronavirus outbreak.

Originally due to take place this summer the event has now been moved to 2021 and will run from July 23 to August 8.

The decision was made after a mutual agreement was reached with several organisations involved in running the games including the International Olympic Committee and the Japanese government.

The IOC say the new dates, exactly one year from original time scale, give 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 president of the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, Mori Yoshirō, said: “I am convinced that taking this decision promptly will help speed up future preparations.

“I would like to thank all the stakeholders, including the host city Tokyo and the Government of Japan, for their hard work during this short period.

“The Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee will continue to work hard for the success of next year’s Games.”