The Tokyo 2020 Olympics pushed back a year because of the coronavirus pandemic only after Olympic officials and Japanese organizers bowed to widespread pressure, will now open July 23, 2021.

The Olympic Games had been scheduled to run from 24 July to 9 August this year but the relentless spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic led to them being postponed by the International Olympic Committee.

The IOC made the announcement last Tuesday while also saying the Games would take place no later than summer 2021 with some claiming in recent days they may go ahead in spring 2021.

However, several media outlets have named the dates, including nikkei.com, which said:

“The International Olympic Committee (IOC), the government, Tokyo, and the Organizing Committee set a new date for the Tokyo Olympics, which was postponed due to the spread of the new coronavirus worldwide on July 30, 2021 From 23rd to 8th August, the policy has been confirmed.”

The IOC has yet to make an official announcement.

The Kyodo news agency said the IOC and Tokyo 2020 organizers were speaking on Monday to discuss the schedule with 23 July under consideration as the opening day.

An article read:

“The International Olympic Committee and the organizing committee of the Tokyo Games will hold a teleconference on Monday to discuss the new schedule following the postponement of the games, sources close to the matter said.

“The games’ organizers and the IOC will consider selecting July 23, 2021 as the opening day of the Tokyo Olympics, sources said.

“The Olympics, which had been scheduled to take place from July 24 this year, were postponed for about a year on Tuesday due to the new coronavirus pandemic.

“Recent Olympics have been held over a 17-day stretch, with the opening ceremony on a Friday and wrapping up on the third Sunday. For those reasons, a time frame from July 23, 2021 to Aug. 8 has emerged as a strong candidate, according to a source.”