Tokyo 2020 chief executive Toshirō Mutō announced that they will start recruiting volunteers in September ©Getty Images

Organisers of the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo have announced plans to start the recruitment of 80,000 volunteers in September.

Tokyo 2020 published its outline guide for applying to be a volunteer today and plan to receive applications from September to December this year.

They have, however, warned that only those who are deemed capable of handling the workload will be taken on.

Candidates must be born before April 1, 2002, be available to take part in training and have either Japanese citizenship or eligible to reside in Japan.

The outline also states that candidates must have "passion" and "be able to carry out their job to completion".

As reported by Japan Times, Tokyo 2020 director general Toshirō Mutō said: "We want to make sure that they take their jobs seriously, and also that they have the desire to do it because we are looking for those volunteers to continue to work for a minimum of 10 days.

"Volunteers are something that we must have, otherwise we can’t have the Games.

"The volunteers will be the face of the Tokyo 2020 Games.

"We want people who are passionate and have a strong desire to make sure that the Tokyo Games are a huge success and want to get directly involved in the operation of the Games."

Volunteers, like those seen here at Pyeongchang 2018, are seen as vital to the success of any Olympic Games ©Getty Images
Volunteers, like those seen here at Pyeongchang 2018, are seen as vital to the success of any Olympic Games ©Getty Images

Mutō added: "Volunteers will be the first people that visitors from overseas meet when they arrive in Japan.

"So this is a matter of civic diplomacy, and that’s why we think the volunteer program is one of the most important parts of the plan for the Games."

Although volunteers must be over the age of 18, Mutō claimed organisers are keen to involve schoolchildren as much as possible during the Olympics, due to take place between July 24 and August 9 in 2020. 

He also said that the Organising Committee are asking the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to relax its rules on "ambush marketing", which they believe are hampering the efforts of Tokyo 2020 to promote the event.

The IOC only allows selected commercial partners to use the Olympic logo and other brand imagery.

"We know that there are various organisations that help us and contribute to us in terms of building momentum toward the Games," Mutō said.

"Not just corporations but Prefectural Governments as well.

"When the private sector gets involved, there are ambush marketing constraints that we must be very careful about.

"That takes some motivation away from people who want to contribute."