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Australia's Olympic chef de mission Ian Chesterman is telling athletes to prepare for a different Tokyo Games next year, but just how much so remains unknown.

Australia's Olympic team boss knows next year's Tokyo Games will be different.

But just how different, Australia's chef de mission Ian Chesterman isn't yet sure.

Chesterman and about 500 Australian athletes had spent the past year preparing for a Tokyo Olympics starting this Friday.

But instead of being one day away, the Games are now one year away after being postponed by the global coronavirus pandemic.

"We have had to put a complete hold on our plans," Chesterman told AAP.

"When postponed, there was just three months to go and we were really moving from the planning phase into the operational phase.

"Now, we're in a bit of a holding pattern until we get more information coming out of the Tokyo Organising Committee in terms of what the Games are going to look like next year.

"It has obviously been a time of challenge for everybody involved in organising the Games and the AOC (Australian Olympic Committee) is no different - a big disruption to our plans."

Chesterman remained bullish about the Games proceeding in 2021, particularly after International Olympic Committee reaffirmed commitments last Friday.

"That gave me a fair degree of hope that we're in good shape with 12 months to go," Chesterman said.

"The key building blocks are in place ... it was a full commitment that the IOC and the Tokyo Games organising committee expressed in having the Games next year.

"That is not just words.

"The IOC and the Japanese authorities are committing billions of dollars to make the Games happen.

"With 12 months to go ... we have got every reason to keep planning for the Games."

But Chesterman said an an answer to the question of just how different next year's Games will be won't be know until October.

That's when chef de missions from around the world hold a webinar with organisers to detail just what a Games looks like with a backdrop of COVID-19.

"At the moment we're not getting a lot of information about the specifics of the Games," Chesterman said.

"We do know the Games will be different but we don't know what different looks like.

"(IOC) President (Thomas) Bach described that the Games will be a bit more frugal - there has been 200 cost saving measures identified between the IOC and the organising committee.

"We don't know what they are. But we do know that athletes and sport will be quarantined in those savings."

Australia and other nations were preparing for the Games on the assumption there won't be coronavirus vaccine available.

While much was uncertain, Chesterman expected Australian athletes to arrive shortly before their competition and leave soon after - a departure from past practice where the team stayed for the duration of the Games.

Australia's team would likely feature 480 to 500 athletes, with 71 already selected.

Of those selected, just one - cyclist Amy Cure - had withdrawn because of implications of the year-long postponement.

"I'm sure athletes and coaches have experienced the rollercoaster of emotions since the Games were postponed," Chesterman said.

"On a team of 500 athletes, the full gamut of emotions would have been experienced."