The announcement was made following an IOC Executive Board meeting today

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games are set to start on the 23 July 2021 and run until the 8 August 2021.

The Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games had been scheduled for the 24th of July this year and were postponed due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

Speaking today, Chef de Mission for Team Ireland in Tokyo, Tricia Heberle welcomed the clarification of a date,

“Now the athletes have a start date for the Games, they can work with their Performance Directors and coaches to start mapping out preparations. Importantly for athletes and sport, the next information we need clarity on are any changes to qualification and the rescheduling of qualification events. This will take some time, so in the short term the focus remains the same, stay healthy and safe over the coming months.

“The priority now is for everyone to following the government guidelines to protect Ireland and the rest of the world against further spread of this virus. A July 2021 start means that we have plenty of time to reactivate preparatory plans and for athletes currently in modified training or on a break of sorts, this period of time can still allow some positive impact on performance.

“If we are smart, this enforced break can make Team Ireland even better.”