Tokyo 2020 Olympics: Organisers expect to secure all venues for postponed Games

With the Tokyo Olympics 2020 being shifted to next year due to the coronavirus pandemic, organisers expect to be able to use all the venues as originally planned, several Japanese media outlets reported.

Securing venues was a top priority for the organisers and Kyodo and NHK, citing unnamed sources, said they were confident they would be tied down for Olympic use again.

However, at his regular weekly news conference, Tokyo 2020 spokesman Masa Takaya said the reports were "optimistic". He also added that nothing had been announced yet.

“We have seen a series of media reports concerning the status of securing venues for the Games in 2021,” said Takaya, according to Reuters.

“Tokyo 2020 is aware of these reports but I need to be very clear ... this is not something on which Tokyo Metropolitan Government or the Tokyo organising committee has made a formal announcement.

“The organising committee has not made such an announcement at this stage and during this process, it is very unfortunate to see such reports based on this optimistic view."

Last month, Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto said 80% of all venues needed had been secured. The Athlete’s Village and Tokyo Big Sight, the planned media centre, among those yet to be fully secured.

According to Thursday's report, the competition schedule would remain largely unchanged and all ticket holders would be eligible for refunds. The organisers would seek approval of these decisions from the IOC’s General Assembly on July 17.

Takaya, however, has said nothing had been decided and Tokyo 2020 did not expect to seek approval from the IOC next week, Reuters reported.