New dates for Tokyo Olympics expected in three weeks

A decision on when the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games will be held is expected to be made within the next three weeks, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) told countries on a conference call on Friday. International federations were given a similar timeline during a call with the IOC.

The IOC discussed the new dates for the Tokyo Olympics, which were postponed until no later than the summer of 2021, amid growing international concern over the coronavirus pandemic, with National Olympic Committees on Friday.

The timing of the Games is the most pressing issue for a taskforce established by the IOC and Tokyo 2020 to navigate the complicated challenges stemming from the postponement. However, IOC president Thomas Bach was coy about the possible new dates, during an interview with NBC Sports on Tuesday.

In the meantime, athletes who had qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games will keep their places at the rescheduled event after it was postponed until no later than the summer of 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

It is expected that the athlete quotas for each sport will remain the same following the decision to delay the Games after the World Health Organization (WHO) warned the Covid-19 pandemic was accelerating.