The International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed the news on Monday, following a meeting of the Tokyo 2020 organising committee.
A decision to postpone the Olympic and Paralympic Games was taken last week by the IOC and the Japanese government because of the accelerating threat posed by the coronavirus pandemic.
This year’s games were scheduled to open on July 24 and close on August 9.
“This is a huge challenge. It is unprecedented,” IOC president Thomas Bach said.
“We don’t have a blueprint. We have no experts to refer to.
“Now, we have to work and we’re working already with the international federations.
“We have to take the qualification into consideration.”
Bach said the decision on the dates had been based on three main considerations: to protect the health of athletes, to safeguard the interests of the athletes and Olympic sport, and the international sports calendar.
Athletes responded to the news, posting to social media to welcome the new timeline.
After holding out for weeks, officials last week postponed the Tokyo Games under pressure from athletes, national Olympic bodies and sports federations.
It is the first postponement in Olympic history, though there were several cancellations during wartime.
The Paralympics were rescheduled to the new dates of August 24 to September 5, 2021.
