TOKYO • To pull off the first postponed Olympics in modern history, the Tokyo 2020 organisers have said they will strip out much of the spectacle that typically characterises the event.

Now they have to figure out what exactly that means.

As plans begin to take shape, the sports director of the Tokyo organising committee, Koji Murofushi, says details that used to previously go unnoticed, like the sounds athletes make in quiet stadiums, will take on more focus.

That will bring new perspectives and business opportunities.

Asked the gold medallist in the men's hammer throw at the Athens 2004 Games: "Have you ever heard the sound of a steel wire attached to the hammer when it flies through the air?

"Or the sound of runners' spikes on the track and water splashing at the swimming pool?"

Originally scheduled for this summer, the event was postponed to July next year owing to the coronavirus pandemic.

Organisers are considering cost cuts in more than 200 areas. That could include limiting spectators and reducing the size of ceremonies, according to local media reports.

But the International Olympic Committee remains "carefully optimistic" the Tokyo 2020 Games can proceed in good order.

"When I say carefully optimistic, it's because we don't know what the sanitary situation will be a year from now," said Olympic Games executive director Christophe Dubi in a pre-recorded speech at the World Winter Sports Expo yesterday.

"But we are optimistic because we know we can do it because we have a fantastic partnership with Tokyo."

With second waves of infections hitting countries around the world, and without any vaccine, the organisers are likely to see continued challenges.

According to a Kyodo News poll conducted in July, only one in four people in Japan supports holding the Games next year.

Adding to uncertainty is the abrupt resignation of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who played a major role in Tokyo's winning bid to host.

However, Murofushi, 45, insisted that the committee is devoted to the safety of the Games, including fans, with the organisers keen to avoid a closed-door event.

Tokyo 2020 chief executive Toshiro Muto added: "As for the spectators, we don't have any conclusions yet. But if possible, we'd like to avoid a 'no spectators' situation."

An interim summary on border controls, transportation, anti-virus rules, fans and countermeasures for stakeholders is expected by the end of the year, and he believes it will reassure both Japanese and foreign athletes that "next year's Olympics is safe and secure because of our coronavirus measures".

BLOOMBERG, XINHUA