The Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic organizing committee will issue ticket refunds to people unable to attend the games due to their one-year postponement, sources close to the matter said Thursday.
Organizers have sold about 4.48 million tickets for the Olympics and roughly 970,000 for the Paralympics through the official ticketing website. The games are slated to open in Japan next July after being delayed by the coronavirus pandemic.
In principle, tickets that have already been purchased are valid for next summer's games, but consideration will be given to spectators who are unable to attend as a result of the delay.
Also, sources confirmed Wednesday that organizers are on track to secure all the venues originally planned for use this summer, before the pandemic halted major sporting events across the world.
The first competition of the Olympics is expected to be softball in Fukushima Prefecture two days prior to the opening ceremony as originally planned.
The local organizers plan to make a report to the International Olympic Committee's general assembly on July 17.
The use of event venues had emerged as a potential sticking point for the Olympics after IOC President Thomas Bach and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reached an agreement to postpone the games in March.
On June 12, organizers said they had reached understandings with operators of around 80 percent of the Olympic venues. Since then, organizers have been in negotiations with the remaining venue operators and with the developers of the athletes village.
The postponed games will follow roughly the same competition schedule as was previously laid out. The Olympics will begin on July 23, 2021, a day ahead of the original 2020 date, followed by the Paralympics on Aug. 24.