OAKLAND, California - 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 on Wednesday.

CoSport, the only authorized Olympics ticket vendor in the US, said in an email to customers that it would take weeks to finalize further details. The company did not immediately respond to a request for additional comment.

"We know there are questions surrounding such an unprecedented move and want you to know that CoSport Tokyo 2020 purchases will be honored at the Games in 2021, and we continue to work in support of our customers in addressing issues," said the email seen by Reuters.

Athletes had been struggling to prepare for the Olympics because of government-issued stay-at-home mandates aimed at curtailing the coronavirus which has killed more than 20,000 people around the world.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Tuesday announced the Tokyo Games scheduled to begin in July would be moved back to no later than summer 2021.

Tickets through CoSport range from under tens of dollars to thousands of dollars, depending on the competition.

Tokyo 2020 organizers have said over seven million seats would be available globally. In the most recent Games budget from December 2019, organizers said $800 million had been raised through ticket sales.

Reuters