Tokyo Olympics organisers are expecting to welcome international spectators at next year's Games despite the COVID-19 pandemic, International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach revealed on Thursday (NZ time).
In March, the Japanese government and the IOC postponed the 2020 Games until 2021 because of the coronavirus outbreak.
"We are working on the basis of course there will be international spectators [in Tokyo]," says Bach.
"What we do not know is if we can fill stadia to full capacity or if other measures would have to be applied."
He said the resumption of some Japanese sports leagues had been a positive sign.
"We saw a very encouraging start in some of the leagues in Japan in the past couple of weeks with a good number of spectators," he added.
"We have to see again with the additional tools at our disposal next year how we can fill the stadia and how much we can fill them."
Visitors to the Olympics usually book their tickets many months or years in advance but in Tokyo's case the IOC will only have a clearer picture by the end of 2020.
"We are here with a lot of uncertainties," the IOC's Olympic Games executive director Christophe Dubi said.
"We have not established any timelines. It is premature to say at this stage we have to have such a decision or such a decision.
"At the end of the year we will have a lot of clarity, what to do from an operational standpoint. By December we have a clearer picture how the situation unfolds.
Tokyo 2020 President Yoshiro Mori said last month that the Games would go ahead next year "no matter what happens."
Meanwhile, organisers of the rearranged Olympics announced they will be introducing cost-cutting measures to save US$283 million (NZ$429m) as they plan to be a 'role model' for future Games.
Since then, the IOC have said they expect to pay US$800m (NZ$1.2 billion) in additional costs because of the delay but Japan-based organisers have been more coy with their numbers.
But members of the Tokyo 2020 organising committee made a virtual presentation to the IOC, where they laid out more than 50 'simplification' measures.
"We believe that this work will help to create a model for future global events, including any upcoming Games amid the new normal with which we now live," says Tokyo 2020 chief executive Toshiro Muto.
"We will continue to strive to make the Tokyo 2020 Games a legacy for humanity in the future."
These measures include cutting spending on the look of the Games venues, changes to torch relay operations and reducing non-athlete personnel coming to Tokyo.
Muto said there would be more cost-cutting measures to come.
"As we are in the COVID-19 universe now, what was considered a given is no longer the case," added Muto.
"Are we living in a world where having this major, flashy festival in suitable? I think this has been a major turning point in this regard."
Reuters
