Tokyo Olympics 2020: Head of organising committee Yoshiro Mori expects call from IOC president Thomas Bach about new dates for Games

Tokyo: Tokyo Olympic president Yoshiro Mori said on Monday he expects to talk with IOC president Thomas Bach this week about potential dates and other details for the rescheduled games next year.

File image of Tokyo 2020 organising committee president Yoshiro Mori (left). AP

The International Olympic Committee and Japanese organisers last week postponed the Olympics until 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“I anticipate speaking to President Bach this week,” Mori said, speaking at the opening of an organising committee executive board meeting. “He tends to call me directly, and that puts me in trouble because I don't have good command of English.”

Mori has repeatedly said the Olympics will be held no later than next summer and many reports suggest it will be in the same July-August slot.

This year's games were to have opened on 24 July and closed on 9 August. The corresponding weeks next year would mean a 23 July opening ceremony.

“Opinions on both sides have been compiled, whether spring or summer," Mori said. “There are opinions for both options and they both have advantages and disadvantages that are being compared and then will be decided.”

After holding out for weeks, local organisers and the IOC last week postponed under pressure from athletes, national Olympic bodies, and sports federations.

The decision on a date is expected to come quickly. The athletes are demanding it, and any reorganisation revolves around a firm time slot.

Both Mori and CEO Toshiro Muto have said the the cost of rescheduling will be “massive” — local reports suggest several billion dollars — with most of the expenses borne by Japanese taxpayers.