A dream about the hemisphere .. Will deferral open the door for the Olympics in the spring?

The postponement of the Olympics until next year gives the organizers a way to get rid of a long-running dilemma that is hot and humid weather in the Japanese capital during the summer.

The decision to postpone the Olympics due to the recent outbreak of the Corona virus - announced on Tuesday by the International Olympic Committee and the Japanese government - gave the organizers several options to reschedule the games that should take place "after 2020, but not beyond the summer of 2021," according to the announcement.

German International Olympic Committee Chairman Thomas Bach has left the door open to the new date, which will be determined in consultation between the various parties concerned, indicating that it may be in the summer of 2021 or even before.

The Olympics were to be held between July 24 and August 9, and the high temperatures and high humidity in the Japanese capital during the summer were a major concern for athletes and fans in the past months, before the outbreak of the Corona virus overwhelmed everything else.

Tokyo Mayor Yoriko Koike confirmed that the holding of the Olympics in the spring may also lead to the return of the marathon to the capital, after it was transferred to the northern city of Sabauru, where the temperature is more moderate.

The head of the local organizing committee, former Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori, hastened to express his support for the presentation of the Olympics, and said after the postponement, "We are trying to set a new date by the summer, and it may be earlier. ? "

Conflict with championships
Re-setting a new date for the Summer Olympics - the world's largest sporting event that takes place every four years - needs strenuous work on the organizational and logistical level, especially to choose a timing that does not contradict with other major championships scheduled for next year.

But breaking the idol of the necessity of holding the largest sporting championship in the universe in the summer, may provide an opportunity for many countries that have the infrastructure and financial means to organize the championship. But the air temperature and high humidity of these countries in the summer due to their geographical location, such as East Asia, the Arab Gulf and most of Africa, stand in the way of that dream, deprived of nearly half the world.

Bach stressed this week that "these postponed Olympic Games will need sacrifices, and will require concessions from all parties concerned."

Marcus Lower, founder and CEO of Total Sport Asia, a sports marketing company, noted that the holding of the Olympics in the spring would conflict with the end of the European football season, in addition to the knockout (Playoff) roles of the NBA.

"I like the idea in general, the April-May period is beautiful in Japan, and it makes sense from this point of view," Loire told Agence France Presse, but the possibility of a date conflict with other dates makes things "very complicated and difficult."

On the Japanese front, regulators have already allocated large sums to take measures to reduce the impact of high temperatures and high humidity, including road-absorbing coating, water spray machines, and even artificial snow.

After the organizing committee has decided that the delay will incur additional costs, it is expected that it will welcome the Olympics in the spring, saving them the costs of facing the hot weather.

"The compensation and the new costs will be less if the Olympics are held in the spring instead of the summer," said a sports federation official, who asked not to be named, to the French Press Agency.

After many athletes and federations complained of the summer heat in Tokyo and its expected impact on performance, the head of the Belgian Equestrian Federation Ingmar de Vos was among the first to publicly demand this week to "find a date when the temperature and humidity will be less severe."

"Why not? The ICRC must study the matter again and choose the optimal dates in terms of weather. It may be an opportunity," he added about the Olympics in the spring.

Reports suggest the ICRC will reveal the new date within weeks.

And the Olympic Games in its modern era (since 1896) were held outside the most famous summer months to adapt to climatic conditions. The first summer Olympics, hosted by Tokyo in 1964, was held in October, just like the next in Mexico in 1968.

The first versions of the modern history of the games were also held at varying dates. Athens held the 1896 session in April and May, similar to London 1908 and Stockholm 1912.

As for the 1904 edition in St. Louis, USA, which coincided with an international exhibition, it ran between July and November.