ATHENS – The cost of postponing the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games to 2021 was not discussed by IOC chief Thomas Bach and Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday, Bach said, adding: "this is about protecting lives".
To safeguard the health of the athletes and everyone involved in the Tokyo 2020 Games.
The Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games will now take place no later than summer 2021.
— #Tokyo2020 (@Tokyo2020) March 24, 2020>
The July 24-Aug. 9 event will be rescheduled for the summer of 2021 at the latest, as proof of victory over the coronavirus, the IOC and Tokyo 2020 organisers announced in a joint statement earlier on Tuesday, following an agreement between Bach and Abe.
But the precise dates for the new Games have not yet been determined, Bach said. "About two hours after my phone call I cannot give you a definite answer.
"These are the reasons why we had decided we need at least four weeks to assess all these questions... these are not the only ones," Bach added on a phone call with a selection of Olympic journalists.