Next year’s Tokyo Olympics will now officially open on 23 July 2021 – 364 days later than planned – in order to give organisers the time needed to prepare after the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The decision was confirmed by the International Olympic Committee following a conference call between its president, Thomas Bach, and the international sports federations on Monday. Bach gave them one choice of a new date – 23 July to 8 August – before asking the federations for a show of support, which was unanimous. The IOC said rescheduling the games to next July would help other major events. “These new dates give the health authorities and all involved in the organisation of the Games the maximum time to deal with the constantly changing landscape and the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic,” the statement read. “The new dates, exactly one year after those originally planned for 2020, also have the added benefit that any disruption that the postponement will cause to the international sports calendar can be kept to a minimum. Additionally, they will provide sufficient time to finish the qualification process. The same heat mitigation measures as planned for 2020 will be implemented.” Bach promised that the IOC and the Tokyo organisers would “master this unprecedented challenge”. “Humankind currently finds itself in a dark tunnel. These Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 can be a light at the end of this tunnel,” he added. The move, which was widely expected after last week’s decision to postpone the Games, means the 2021 swimming championships are likely to move to 2022. World Athletics responded to the news by immediately confirming it planned to move the Eugene 2021 world championships by a year. “Everyone needs to be flexible and compromise and to that end we are now working with the organisers of the World Athletics Championships in Oregon on new dates in 2022,” it said. “We are also in discussions with the Commonwealth Games Federation and the European Championships. “We would like to thank our Oregon 21 Organising Committee for their collaboration and willingness to explore all options.” A summer 2021 Games also had the backing of the US broadcaster NBC, whose rights fees make up more of the IOC’s income than any other body. The move also frees up the top NBA, football and golf players to compete. But a July date means that the Olympics will take place during the hottest time of the Japanese summer – a longstanding worry that has already led to the Olympic marathon being moved to Sapporo in the north of the country. It was these concerns that led to some sports, including swimming, equestrianism and triathlon to moot a “Cherry Blossom” Games in the spring of 2021 instead. Tokyo organisers have confirmed that tickets for this year’s Games will remain valid in 2021 but a full refund would be given to anyone who could no longer attend. They also confirmed that the Paralympics will be rescheduled from 24 August to 5 September. “The consensus was that staging the rescheduled Games during the summer vacation in Japan would be preferable,” Tokyo 2020’s organising committee president, Yoshiro Mori, said. “In terms of transport, arranging volunteers and the provision of tickets for those in Japan and overseas, as well as allowing for the Covid-19 situation, we think that it would be better to reschedule the Games to one year later than planned, in the summer of 2021.” Japan is officially spending $12.6bn to organise the Olympics although an audit bureau of the Japanese government says the costs are twice that much. Muto has admitted that rescheduling the Olympics will add significant extra costs – with most putting it between $2bn and $4bn – with the expenses being largely borne by the government. Meanwhile, the British & Irish Lions have played down concerns over next year’s tour of South Africa clashing with the rescheduled Olympics with evening kick-offs for the three-Test series against the Springboks ensuring no crossover with major events at the Games.