Tokyo Olympics Organizers Considering July 2021 for Opening Ceremony

Mark Adams, a spokesman for the organization, gave a one-word answer, “speculation,” when asked about the new date on Saturday.

The decision to pick an almost identical date to this year’s event is not particularly surprising, given the challenges to squeeze the Olympics in an already packed sporting calendar. It also is the best time for the U.S. broadcaster, NBCUniversal, which pays more than $1 billion for the U.S. media rights to each Olympic Games.

But it means the Games will still take place during Tokyo’s hottest time of the year, an issue that was already causing worry and complications. The Olympic marathon was moved to a northern, cooler city after an outcry, and organizers had planned several steps to try to keep fans and competitors cool.

On a call within the past week with Thomas Bach, the I.O.C. president, some federations, including those representing swimming, table tennis, triathlon and equestrian, had voiced a preference to hold the Olympics in the spring. That, though, would have led to a clash with the seasons for major soccer leagues and many of the richest U.S. sports leagues.

The I.O.C. also wanted to be sure to steer clear of the European soccer championships, which are being moved to 2021 and usually take place in June.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/28/sports/olympics/coronavirus-olympics-postponed-2021.html