It follows comments from Tokyo 2020 Opening Ceremony producer Marco Balich who said that the virus "has to be referenced" despite the Ceremonies being close to completion.

In an interview with Reuters, Balich said: "I think given this difficult decision, what our Ceremonies team can now do is refresh and have a unique opportunity to rethink and use them to make them the biggest celebration with Olympic values."

Mori said that the preparations for the Ceremonies had been "almost completed" but now "need to be reviewed" after Tokyo 2020 was moved to next year because of COVID-19.

He also said that he plans to ask the creative team who create the Ceremonies to include the pandemic as part of it.

"If the Tokyo Games can be held, it will be proof that we overcame one of the largest disasters that humankind has faced," Mori said to Kyodo News.

"We have been tasked with something very challenging."

With the postponement of the Games being announced on March 24, the Olympics will now start a year later than previously scheduled with the Opening Ceremony planned for July 23, 2021.

Iconic Japanese creations including Super Mario and Hello Kitty had been rumoured to feature as part of the Opening Ceremony. 

To date, there have been more than 2.64 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide, resulting in the deaths of over 184,000 people.