Japan's biggest sponsors of the Tokyo Olympics are privately calling for the games to be postponed for several months to allow a bigger audience to attend. Companies are currently fretting about the effectiveness of their marketing campaigns.

The offer was made to organizers by some sponsors in recent weeks, the report said, citing people familiar with the matter. The 47 Japanese companies that collectively paid more than $3 billion in sponsorship fees for the Tokyo Games have become increasingly frustrated.

The Tokyo Olympics will be the most sponsored sporting event in history, the report said. But polls show that as many as 80 per cent of Japanese want the games to be cancelled or postponed.

One sponsor executive said: "I don't think it will make much difference to the organisers because they seem completely determined to open on July 23. But from our point of view, it makes much more sense to wait until more people are vaccinated, the weather is cooler and the public opposition rate is probably lower."

The report noted that the prevalence of COVID-19 and the slow pace of vaccination had frustrated the Japanese public. In Japan, only 14 million people, or 11 percent of the population, have had at least one dose of the vaccine.

The Japanese Olympic Committee told sponsors in April that a decision on whether spectators would be allowed to attend the games would be made at the last minute, probably on June 24.

According to the report, many companies have launched massive marketing campaigns around complimentary tickets and in-venue publicity.

Two people at the meeting said some companies believed the money spent to sponsor the Games was effectively 'useless.' But postponing the games would allow venues to recoup some of their investment if they were allowed to accommodate some spectators and larger events.

As preparations for the Games enter their final 50 days, some have suggested a last-minute push to the end of September or October, the report said.