IOC reportedly wants Games to be held in July-August 2021

The International Olympic Committee is working with sports bodies to arrange for a July-August 2021 Summer Games in Tokyo and is hoping to announce a decision within the coming month, an official was quoted as saying in Japan’s Yomiuri newspaper.

Australia Olympic Committee board chair John Coates, who is also head of the IOC’s Coordination Commission for the Tokyo Games, told the paper the Games would have to be held between the Wimbledon Championship, scheduled to end July 10 next year, and the U.S. Open in September.

The IOC and Japanese government succumbed to intense pressure from athletes and sporting bodies around the world on Tuesday, agreeing to push back the Games by as much as one year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Coates’ reported comments added to those of other officials, some of whom have provided contradictory dates.

Coates also told the Yomiuri that the hope was to follow the same arrangements next year that had been planned, including holding the marathon in the northern city of Sapporo instead of Tokyo to escape the heat. SPONSORS TO STAND BY DELAYED OLYMPICS >> Major corporate sponsors of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics are standing by the International Olympic Committee after the Games were postponed and experts familiar with the deals said the companies would not likely seek the return of billions of dollars committed to the agreements.

Fourteen global companies including Coca-Cola Co, Procter & Gamble Co and Intel Corp spent $500 million this year and have committed close to $4 billion on multi-year contracts that designate them as toptier sponsors, according to research firm Global Data. After the delay, three sponsors, Procter & Gamble, Intel and Coca-Cola, reaffirmed their commitment to the Games. “As the longest standing sponsor of the Olympic Games, we remain committed to working together with the IOC and TOCOG (Tokyo Organising Committee) to create a successful and safe event,” said a Coca-Cola spokesman. U.S. TICKET HOLDERS TOLD

PURCHASES WILL BE HONORED IN 2021 >> Tokyo Olympics ticket holders in the United States will not immediately get refunds in light of the event’s postponement due to the coronavirus pandemic, but will be able to use existing tickets when the competition happens next year, the official ticket seller said.

CoSport, the only authorized Olympics ticket vendor in the U.S., said in an email to customers that it would take weeks to finalize further details.