Tokyo Olympics committee president says spring 2021 is unlikely timeframe for rescheduled Games

Scott Gleeson | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption 2020 Olympics: How coronavirus led to postponement USA TODAY Sports' Nancy Armour breaks down why the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will be postponed.

Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics organizing committee president Yoshiro Mori said Saturday it is unlikely the rescheduled 2020 Summer Games will take place in the spring of 2021.

The Tokyo Olympics were officially postponed earlier this week as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

"I want to offer some conclusions by the end of next week after we've mulled it over," Mori said during an appearance on Nippon Television. "The Games are meant to be in summer, so we should be thinking of a time between June and September."

The New York Times and Japanese broadcaster NHK each reported Saturday that the Games are likely to begin July 23, 2021 — nearly a year to the day after their initially-scheduled window this summer.

International Olympic Committee spokesperson Mark Adams told USA TODAY Sports in an email early Sunday that the reported dates are "speculation."

The possibility of the Olympics taking place in the spring arose after IOC president Thomas Bach said earlier in the week that "all options are on the table," as an IOC task force planned to meet with 33 international sports federations to determine new dates.

Mori noted that logistical complications would also stand in the way of the Games being held in the spring. He said with the Games taking place in the summer, there's a longer timetable for rearranging qualifying events and securing volunteers.

"It's better for preparation time to be kept as long as possible," he said.

The original 2020 Olympics schedule was July 24-Aug. 9 before the Games were postponed. The Paralympics were slated to run Aug. 25-Sept. 6.

“It’s a huge jigsaw puzzle and every piece has to fit," Bach said earlier in the week. "If one piece is taken out, it can destroy it. The Games have never been postponed before. There is no blueprint.”

Contributing: Tom Schad