The United Arab Emirates has proposed delaying Expo 2020 Dubai until October 2021 because of the pandemic caused by the new coronavirus, the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) said on Saturday.
Expo is a major business and cultural event held every five years in cities around the world selected by the BIE based in Paris. It said the UAE was now proposing to hold the event from Oct. 1, 2021 until March 31, 2022.
The Expo following Dubai is due to be held in Osaka, Japan, in 2025.
Dubai organisers last month backed a proposal to postpone the event due to start on Oct. 20 this year and run until April 10 because of the pandemic.
The executive committee of the BIE will meet on April 21 to discuss changing the date, it said on its website.
Two-thirds of the BIE's 170 member states must support the proposal for the dates to be changed. A final decision is expected in June when member states meet.
Published 04 April 2020, 14:34 IST