KYODO NEWS - Mar 27, 2020 - 11:25 | Sports, News, All

The International Olympic Committee will set dates for the rescheduled Tokyo Olympics in about three weeks, a source familiar with the matter said Thursday.

According to the source, the IOC may decide to hold the games in spring as requested by international sports federations to avoid the hottest weeks of the Tokyo summer.

After weeks of uncertainty amid the widening coronavirus pandemic, the IOC, local organizers and the Japanese government announced on Tuesday that the Olympics and Paralympics were being delayed until 2021.

They said the games will be held no later than the summer of 2021.

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Friday it was not realistic to postpone the games by just a few months in the face of the fast-spreading virus, while a delay of two years would "make it seem like a different games altogether."

On Thursday, IOC President Thomas Bach held a conference call with the 33 international sports federations to discuss options, before further consultations with other bodies such as athletes' representative groups, sponsors and broadcasters.

In Wednesday's media teleconference, Bach was asked about the possibility of the Games happening before next summer.

"The agreement is that we want to organize these Olympic Games at the latest in summer 2021. That means that the task force can consider the broader picture and this is not restricted just to the summer months," Bach said.

"All the options are on the table before or during the summer of 2021."