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The Summer Olympics in Tokyo will now open on July 23, 2021

Posted at 5:59 AM, Mar 30, 2020
and last updated 2020-03-30 08:33:31-04

Japan and the International Olympic Committee have announced that the 32nd Summer Olympics will begin on July 23, 2021, and close on Aug. 8, 2021.

The games were scheduled to take place in Tokyo between July 24 and Aug. 9 of this year but were postponed last week due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The IOC also announced that the Paralympic Games would take place between Aug. 25 and Sept. 6, 2021 — also almost exactly a year after its originally scheduled date.

"These new dates 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," The IOC said in a statement.

The committee added that rescheduling the games almost exactly a year after originally scheduled will also cause the least amount of disruption towards the international sporting schedule.

All athletes that had already qualified for the 2020 Olympics will still keep their spots.