Tokyo: The new date for the rescheduled Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games will be decided at the earliest possible in the next three weeks and the Olympic quotas that were already allocated will still be valid, a source with the IOC told Xinhua news agency on Friday.
According to the source, IOC members had a teleconference on Thursday and the IOC held another teleconference with National Olympic Committees (NOCs) on Friday. The IOC suggested that setting a new date for Tokyo 2020 is the top priority at present or other work related the postponement cannot progress.
According to media reports, John Coates, chairman of the Tokyo 2020 Coordination Committee, said that the IOC is working with the International Federations and relevant agencies, hoping to reschedule the Games between July and August.
As Xinhua’s source revealed, on the teleconference on Thursday, there were also proposals to hold the Games in spring, when Japan’s cherry blossom comes into bloom and doubts that the temperature could be too high if the Games are held in summer.
“The new date for the Tokyo 2020 will be decided as soon as possible within the next three weeks. There are many factors and interests of shareholders that need to be considered to support the final decision,” the source told Xinhua.
The teleconference confirmed 57 percent of the total berths for Tokyo 2020 had already been taken and those athletes and NOCs will keep their tickets. On Friday, IOC and the NOCs negotiated over several issues related to the postponement including hotel reservation, Olympic Solidarity fund for NOCs and the age restriction for men’s soccer event.