"Whether spring or summer, there are opinions for both options," says organising committee president Yoshiro Mori
Monday 30 March 2020 13:12, UK
Tokyo 2020 organising committee president Yoshiro Mori expects the new date for the postponed Olympic Games to be decided this week.
The Games, which were due to be held in Japan from July 24 to August 9, have been postponed until 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Mori says suggestions have been made to hold the Games either in spring or summer next year and confirmed he would likely discuss the matter with International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach this week.
"Opinions on both sides have been compiled, whether spring or summer, there are opinions for both options," said Mori.
"They both have advantages and disadvantages that are being compared, and then will be decided.
"This has also been reported to chairman Bach. We expect to hear from chairman Bach most likely this week."
World Athletics president Lord Sebastian Coe has suggested the 2021 World Championships could be delayed by a year to accommodate the Tokyo Games.
The next Athletics World Championships are scheduled to take place in Eugene, Oregon in August 2021 but Coe says the event may need be moved to avoid clashing with the Olympics.
"At this stage, it's fair to say nothing is on the table, nothing is off the table," he said.
"We have already had good discussions with Oregon and what I can report is Oregon are very clear that they will do whatever they can to help in our deliberations on this.
"No hard and fast decisions have been made. It may well be that one of the options is to move into 2022, but that's where our discussions are now taking place."
The Executive Board of the Organisers of Tokyo 2020 met on Monday and announced the required number of volunteers had been reached. They will now be asking those who have confirmed their roles if they would participate in any rescheduled Games.
Torchbearers who were confirmed for the postponed Torch Relay will also be given priority selection for next year's Olympic Torch relay.
Organisers are working on measures to ensure purchased tickets will be valid for corresponding rescheduled events next year and that face value refunds are given to ticket holders who cannot attend events in 2021.
In addition, the organisers have announced all 18 Olympic Test events from April 2020 onwards are postponed.
