2021 Summer Olympics Dates Announced

After announcing last week that the Olympics would be pushed back to 2021, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) today revealed the exact dates for the event. In a joint release, the IOC, the International Paralympic Committee, the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, and the Government of Japan announced the Tokyo Olympics will take place from July 23 to August 8, 2021. The organization has also agreed on new dates for the Paralympic Games, which will be celebrated from August 24 to September 5, 2021.

The decision of the timing was to give the health authorities and all involved in the organization of the Games the maximum time to deal with the constantly changing landscape and the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

IOC, IPC, Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee and Tokyo Metropolitan Government announce new dates for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 https://t.co/QITtT5dcl8 pic.twitter.com/DHi4u74ZXa

— Olympics (@Olympics) March 30, 2020

The new dates—exactly one year after those originally planned for 2020 dates—also work to try to minimally disrupt the overall international sporting calendar. The year-long delay will also give federations plenty of time to figure out a new qualification process for the Games.

“We have been working together with all the Olympic and Paralympic stakeholders in the last few days to find new dates for the Tokyo Games, and all the International Federations have unanimously approved this decision,” said World Triathlon President and IOC member Marisol Casado in a press release from ITU. “Even though we would have preferred to move the Games to earlier dates, where the impact of the heat was a bit lower, we agreed that these dates are the best solution for all sports, athletes and IFs, and therefore support wholeheartedly the decision. And I am absolutely confident that we will have magnificent Games in Tokyo next summer, with the help and support of all of us involved in the preparations for hosting the event.”

According to the release, the decision to reschedule, and the dates selected, were based on three main considerations and in line with the principles established by the IOC Executive Board (EB):

1. To protect the health of the athletes and everyone involved, and to support the containment of the COVID-19 virus.
2. To safeguard the interests of the athletes and of Olympic sport.
3. The global international sports calendar.

These measures were supported by all the International Summer Olympic Sports Federations (IFs) and all the National Olympic Committees (NOCs).

It has previously been confirmed that all athletes already qualified and quota places already assigned for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 will remain unchanged.

The program for triathlon includes men’s triathlon, women’s triathlon, and—for the first time—the mixed relay format.