The iconic start to Tokyo's 2020 Olympic Games will be held without spectators as it was announced the traditional torch-lighting ceremony will take place with no fans in attendance.

The Greek Olympic Committee announced on Monday that the torch-lighting ceremony – the symbolic start of each Olympic Games – will be staged at a scaled-down, behind-closed-doors event due to the ongoing fears over the spread of coronavirus in the region.

The Committee announced the Olympic torch will be lit during a smaller-scale ceremony in ancient Olympia on Thursday, March 12 before heading off on a seven-day relay, ending in an official handover ceremony in Greece on March 19.

However, the mayor of Olympia has requested to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that the ceremony be pushed back to May.

'The danger of staging the torch lighting with only a handful of spectators, limited number of officials and delegations, and under a cloud of fear and concern will damage the greatness and prestige of this event,' said mayor Giorgos Georgiopoulos said in his letter to the IOC.