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Tokyo Olympics, Paralympic Games Get New Opening Dates for 2021 After Coronavirus Delay

“These Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 can be a light at the end of this tunnel,” IOC President Thomas Bach said.

New dates for the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games were officially unveiled Monday, after the quadrennial sports events were postponed for the first time in history—because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Summer Games, to take place in Tokyo, will now start on July 23, 2021, while the Paralympic Games will start Aug. 24. The new dates will allow minimum disruption to the international sports calendar and will allow athletes time to finish the qualification process, the International Olympic Committee said in a statement. “Humankind currently finds itself in a dark tunnel. These Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 can be a light at the end of this tunnel,” IOC President Thomas Bach said.