A man wearing a facial mask cycles past the logo of the Tokyo Olympic Games, in Tokyo, on Wednesday. The Tokyo Olympic Games are scheduled to open on July 23 but recent polls show about 80 percent of the Japanese public want the Games canceled or postponed. Some areas are talking about canceling the torch relay events. (Photo: IC)

The starting ceremony for March's Tokyo Olympic torch relay will likely be held without spectators, a Japanese newspaper reported Tuesday, but fans will still be able to line the route.

The Yomiuri Shimbun daily reported that organizers feared crowding at the March 25 event in Fukushima, and would probably bar the 3,000 spectators initially planned.

A spokesman for 2020 organizers would say only that "details of the [relay] Grand Start are still under discussion."

The organizers have already laid out strict rules for the virus-delayed, nationwide relay, which was called off in 2020 after the historic decision to postpone the Games by a year.

Cheering along the relay route will be strictly banned, and people are asked to only attend sections near their homes and avoid crowding.

Mask-wearing will be mandatory, and spectators are asked to offer "support with applause and by using distributed goods rather than shouting or cheering."

Portions of the relay could also be suspended if there is overcrowding.

Organizers are battling persistent doubts about whether the Games can be held safely in summer 2021 and have unveiled a rulebook with various virus countermeasures.

They are set to decide in March whether foreign fans will be able to attend, with limits on overall spectator numbers to be set in April.

More than 75 percent of Japanese oppose overseas fans attending the games, a poll showed Monday.