The IOC said the games will be held"not later than[northern] summer 2021"but they will still be called the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
"In the present circumstances and based on the information provided by the WHO today,the IOC president and the Prime Minister of Japan have concluded that the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo must be rescheduled to a date beyond 2020 but not later than summer 2021,to safeguard the health of the athletes,everybody involved in the Olympic Games and the international community,"the IOC said in a statement.
Before the official announcement,Abe said IOC president Thomas Bach had agreed with his proposal for a one-year postponement.
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"President Bach said he will agree'100 per cent',and we agreed to hold the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics in the summer of 2021 at the latest,"Abe said,saying holding the games next year would be"proof of a victory by human beings against the coronavirus infections".
On Sunday,Bach said a decision on postponing the games would be made in the next four weeks. But pressure grew as national federations,sports governing bodies and athletes spoke out,with Canada andAustralia withdrawing from competition on Sunday. Britain said it was ready to follow the two Commonwealth countries and also refuse to take part in the Games,which were scheduled to be held from July 24 to August 9.