Expo 2020 Dubai committee recommends one-year delay for world fair

Expo 2020 Dubai’s steering committee has agreed to study postponing the world fair by a year following requests by member states hit by the coronavirus, the organizers said on Monday.

A final decision on the postponement of the event due to start in October would be made by the Bureau International des Expositions’ (BIE) executive committee and the governing body’s general assembly, said a statement issued by the organizers.

“Many countries have been significantly impacted by COVID-19 and they have therefore expressed a need to postpone the opening of Expo 2020 Dubai by one year, to enable them to overcome this challenge,” Expo 2020 Dubai director general Reem Al Hashimy said, adding that the United Arab Emirates supported the proposal.