A Commission established to pick the Tokyo 2020 mascots, chaired by Japan's Commissioner for Cultural Affairs Ryohei Miyata, met for the first time in January with the 15-member panel focused on engaging the public in the process.

It was tasked with drawing up eligibility criteria for entering the mascots competition, as well as the detailed schedule of the selection process.

Also in its remit was the job of coming up with ways in which to choose from the entries before deciding on the identity of the mascots.

Miyata will be present at the event, which will be held at the Toranomon Hills Mori Tower, along with Tokyo 2020 President Yoshirō Mori and chief executive Toshiro Muto.

Tamayo Marukawa, Minister in charge of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, and vice Governor of Tokyo, Takashi Yamamoto, will also be present.

The competition is expected to be open to Japanese citizens and non-Japanese people residing in Japan of all ages.

Each design must be drafted from six different angles and feature various expressions and poses.

A narrative for the mascots must also be included.

Feedback from children will be taken into account once the three or four finalists have been determined.

Full details of the competition will be provided at the event, before a newly formed mascot selection panel will hold their first meeting.

Tokyo 2020 revealed in March that the names of the official mascots for the Olympic and Paralympics will come from creative professionals, rather than from the general public.

Organisers established the Commission in December as they aimed to avoid the controversy surrounding their logo in 2015.

The initial design by Kenjiro Sano had to be scrapped due to allegations of plagiarism, after Belgian Olivier Debie claimed that it resembled his Théâtre de Liège logo too closely.

The process of choosing a replacement was also criticised.

Nearly 15,000 entries were received in an open contest to pick the new emblem, with the Commission again being led by Miyata.

Tokyo 2020 provided the European Olympic Committees (EOC) with an update on their progress towards the Games today.

A presentation was delivered by Tokyo 2020 head of international relations’ National Olympic Committee (NOC) services, Toshiaki Murasato, and Toru Kobayashi.

He was joined by Toru Kobayashi, head of NOC services and relations, who confirmed the final venue plan for the Games.

The Tokyo 2020 officials also stated that accommodation for the Games would be completed by the end of 2019, stating that construction was already underway and progressing well.

They also stated that hotel facilities would be used to house sailors and track cyclists at the Games, with the sports taking place away from Tokyo.

The hotels are expected to be confirmed later this year.

A total of five NOC open days are expected to be held by Tokyo 2020, before they stage the Chef de Mission seminar in 2019.

The first of these is due to take place this summer.