IOC working toward finalizing July-August Tokyo Games in 2021

TOKYO (Reuters) – The International Olympic Committee is working with sports bodies to arrange a July-August window for the postponed Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and hopes to confirm the schedule within a month, Japan’s Yomiuri newspaper reported on Thursday.

John Coates, the IOC’s Coordination Commission chief for Tokyo, told the Yomiuri the Games would have to be held between the tennis Grand Slams of Wimbledon, slated to end in mid-July, and the U.S. Open, which starts in late August.

“We want to more or less finalize the dates in four weeks’ time,” the paper quoted Coates as saying.

Coates, who is also president of the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC), said the summer scheduling would be dependent on avoiding clashes with the world championships for swimming (July 16-August 1) and athletics (August 6-15).

World Athletics boss Sebastian Coe has said the world athletics championships in Eugene, Oregon could be moved back to 2022 if necessary.

Coates told the newspaper the hope was to follow the same arrangements next year that had been planned for 2020, including holding the marathon in the northern city of Sapporo instead of Tokyo to escape the heat.

The AOC confirmed the Yomiuri report’s veracity and also said in a statement that Coates had “proffered a view but confirms a range of options are on the table for the IOC.”

The IOC and Japanese government succumbed to intense pressure from athletes and sporting bodies around the world on Tuesday, agreeing to push back the

Gamesbyasmuchasayearbecause of the coronavirus pandemic.

On Thursday, the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee launched a taskforce to resolve issues linked to the postponement, such as reviewing dates for the Games and securing venues.

No specifics have been discussed yet on the timing of the delayed Games, but a date needs to be decided as soon as possible, Hidemasa Nakamura, a senior official at Tokyo 2020, told reporters after the taskforce’s first meeting,

IOC President Thomas Bach said on Wednesday “all options” were on the table for rescheduling, including holding the Games before the Japanese summer.

Sadness in Fukushima after torch relay canceled

It was meant to be the start of a triumphant march to the Tokyo 2020 Games – the torch relay would begin on Thursday in Fukushima, battered by the 2011 earthquake and nuclear disaster, as a poignant symbol of the “Recovery Olympics.”

But instead, it was like any other day for this prefecture in northeast Japan after the relay was scrapped following the Games’ postponement due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Residents were unable to hide their disappointment even though they agreed with the decision.

“It’s a little unfortunate. I was looking forward to the torch relay,” said Mai Sakata, a 31-yearold homemaker, who had planned to watch the torch pass near her home.

High school student Yu Kurashige, 16, said the decision to delay the Games until summer 2021 at the latest was inevitable given the global health emergency.

“I think the torch relay is something that’s really important for Japan but this time cancellation was unavoidable,” he said. “The most important thing is everyone’s safety.”