Speaking to AFP, John Coates said the Tokyo Games would start “with or without Covid” on 23 July, 2021 adding that they would be the "Games that conquered Covid".
The Olympics had been supposed to open on 24 July this year, but in March the organisers made the historic decision to postpone them until the summer of 2021.
Coates, who heads the IOC’s Coordination Commission for the Tokyo Games, said despite the "monumental task" the year-long delay had caused, the Japanese government "has not at all given up" on the Games.
#OnThisDay 7 years ago, Tokyo was selected as the host city of the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
— #Tokyo2020 (@Tokyo2020) September 7, 2020
Now, we have less than #1YearToGo and we can't wait to see you in Tokyo! #UnitedByEmotionhttps://t.co/0NjuI2MxF7 pic.twitter.com/8z7PhIaRWa
The event would be themed “the Reconstruction Games”, he added, after the devastation of the earthquake and tsunami that struck north-eastern Japan in 2011.
"Now very much these will be the Games that conquered Covid, the light at the end of the tunnel."
The Olympics have never been cancelled outside of the world wars. Japanese officials have made clear they would not delay the Games a second time beyond 2021.
However according to several recent polls, a clear majority of Japanese people would prefer to see the Games either cancelled, or postponed for a second time.
Japan's borders are also still largely closed to foreigners.
