Expo 2020 Dubai likely to be delayed

Dubai: The Expo 2020 Dubai is expected to be delayed by up to a year due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The Expo 2020 steering committee, comprising of officials from the UAE and foreign countries participating in the event, are expected to recommend a delay when they meet virtually on Monday later in the afternoon.

Organisers estimated last year that 11 million overseas visitors would attend the event, billed as a showpiece of culture, business and technology with pavilions from 192 countries plus concerts and other events.

Expo 2020, which is scheduled to run from October 20 to April 10, 2021, is currently the last major event still officially planned after the 2020 Tokyo Olympics were last week postponed by a year, the first such delay in the Games’ 124-year modern history.

A final, binding decision would be made at a later meeting of member states of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), which awards the event, though it is unlikely they would go against the recommendation.