Japanese Olympic ticketholders were able to request refunds from November 10 until today. 

Refunds are expected to be made in December. 

The window for Paralympic ticketholders opens tomorrow and will last until December 21, with refunds then issued from mid-January. 

Tickets that were purchased and not requested for a refund remain valid for rescheduled events, while refund requests cannot be cancelled once submitted.

The refund process was devised following the postponement of Tokyo 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the Olympics now scheduled for July 23 to August 8 next year, followed by the Paralympics from August 24 to September 5.

Organisers said the process differs for ticketholders outside of Japan, who purchased tickets through Authorised Ticket Resellers (ATRs).

Each ATR will have their own individual refund procedure. 

Around 4.48 million tickets were sold for the Olympics, while 970,000 were sold for the Paralympics.

Ticket sales for the Games are now suspended and organisers have said a further refund period may be possible depending on the development of the pandemic. 

The competition schedule for 2021 mirrors the schedule planned for 2020, and events are planned for the same venues. 

It is still unknown whether spectators will be able to attend Tokyo 2020, although organisers are working to devise COVID-19 countermeasures to ensure the safe and successful staging of the Games. 

Tokyo 2020 chief executive Toshirō Mutō has said measures for spectators, including non-Japanese residents, would be drawn up "by the spring", while Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike recently revealed her hope of a Games with "full spectators present".