Photo/Illutration The Olympic countdown sign near JR Tokyo Station has become a regular clock since the Summer Games were postponed. (Hiroki Endo)

The International Olympic Committee will decide on the new schedule for the postponed Olympics within three weeks, and Tokyo’s notorious scorching summer weather will be taken into account, sources said.

The IOC proposed the timeframe for the rescheduling at videoconferences attended by all IOC members and representatives of international sports organizations on March 26, according to multiple sources.

A decision could be made within several days, they said.

Some attendees suggested holding the Summer Games in spring next year because they “are worried about the summer heat.”

The IOC has narrowed down the seasons to either summer or spring.

However, some attendees said that autumn should also be an option to ensure that the spread of the novel coronavirus has been contained.

The IOC will consider Japan’s climate, the schedules of popular sports in Western countries, and the situation surrounding Olympic qualifying competitions for each sport.

It will also hold discussions with the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee before deciding on the new schedule.

The IOC and the organizing committee on March 24 announced the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics, scheduled to start on July 24, due to the coronavirus pandemic. They said the Games would be held by summer 2021.

IOC President Thomas Bach said in a news videoconference on March 25 that the timing of the Olympics is “not restricted to the summer.”

“Every option is on the negotiation table, and we can consider it from a wider viewpoint,” he said.

After the Olympics were postponed, Yoshiro Mori, head of the organizing committee, said, “The timing would be better around next summer.”

Many organizers of the Tokyo Olympics want the event held in summer instead of spring to give them more time to prepare.

International concerns about holding Olympic events in Tokyo’s sweltering summer had forced changes.

Special preparations were devised to cool off athletes and spectators with ice and water sprays. But in October, the IOC announced that the marathon and race walk competitions would be moved north to Sapporo.

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike at the time opposed the plan to relocate the long-distance events from the capital.

On March 27, she said the postponement of the Olympics gives organizers a chance to hold the event outside of summer and bring the marathon and other races back to Tokyo.

“Tokyo residents wish that it will happen,” she said.

On a TV program, Koike was asked about the possibility of the marathon events being held in Sapporo even if the Games take place in spring or autumn.

“Tokyo is a much better choice because the venue was changed due to the summer heat in Tokyo,” she said.

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