Tokyo Olympics 2020 postponement forces World Athletics to seek dates in 2022 for 2021 World Championships

London: Athletics’ global governing body said on Monday it was now seeking dates in 2022 for the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon that were scheduled for 2021. [caption id=“attachment_7442561” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. AP Photo[/caption] “We are now working with the organisers of the World Athletics Championships in Oregon on new dates in 2022 for our World Athletics Championships,” World Athletics said in a statement. The championships had been scheduled for 6-15 August, 2021. World Athletics said it also was in discussions with the Commonwealth Games Federation and the European Championships. The European Championships are currently scheduled for 26-30 August in Paris. The next Commonwealth Games are set for 27 July-7 August in Birmingham, England. World Athletics announced its plans for rescheduling the World Championships after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Japanese officials said the new dates for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will be 23 July-8 August, 2021. The Games had been postponed for a year because of the coronavirus pandemic that has killed thousands of people around the world. “This gives our athletes the time they need to get back into training and competition,” World Athletics said of the new Olympics dates. “Everyone needs to be flexible and compromise.” The governing body added, “We would like to thank our Oregon 21 Organising Committee, their stakeholders and our partners for their collaboration and willingness to explore all options.” Oregon organisers were not immediately available for comment. They had said last week: “(We) can reassure World Athletics that we will work with them to ensure that Oregon can still host the World Athletics Championships on alternative dates should that prove necessary.”