2020 Summer Olympics

The 2020 Summer Olympics, officially called the Games of the XXXII Olympiad and known as Tokyo 2020, were a big international sports event held in Tokyo, Japan, from July 23 to August 8, 2021. Some events started even earlier, on July 21, 2021. Tokyo was chosen to host these games back in 2013.

These games were supposed to happen in 2020, but they were moved to 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This was the first time the Olympics were ever postponed. Even though they were held in 2021, they kept the name “Tokyo 2020” for marketing. Because of the pandemic, most events were held without any fans in the stands.

Many new sports were added to the Olympics for the first time, like 3x3 basketball, freestyle BMX, skateboarding, surfing, sport climbing, karate, baseball, and softball. The United States won the most medals, but the host country, Japan, also did very well.

Bidding process

Main article: Bids for the 2020 Summer Olympics

Three cities wanted to host the 2020 Summer Olympics: Tokyo, Istanbul, and Madrid. Other cities like Baku and Doha wanted to host too but weren’t chosen. A plan from Rome was also dropped.

The International Olympic Committee chose the host city on September 7, 2013, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. They used a voting system. In the first round, no city got enough votes. Madrid and Istanbul tied for second, so they had a runoff vote. Then, Tokyo and Istanbul faced off, and Tokyo won with 60 votes against Istanbul’s 36.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

Main articles: COVID-19 cases at the 2020 Summer Olympics and 2020 Summer Paralympics and List of athletes not attending the 2020 Summer Olympics due to COVID-19 concerns

See also: COVID-19 pandemic in Japan and Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports

In early 2020, people were worried about how COVID-19 might affect athletes and visitors at the Summer Olympic Games. The organizers in Tokyo and the International Olympic Committee watched the situation to help keep everyone safe. They said Japan needed to decide soon what to do if the disease kept spreading.

Because COVID-19 can spread easily, it was harder to keep everyone safe than with other diseases. There was also no vaccine available until late in 2020.

Some events to decide which athletes could compete had to move to new places or be delayed because of the disease. For example, a basketball event moved from China to Serbia, and a boxing event moved from China to Jordan.

The Olympic Games, planned for 2020, were delayed until 2021 because of COVID-19. This was the first time the Olympics had ever been delayed. The new dates were set for July and August 2021, and the Games kept the name “Tokyo 2020.”

Many people in Japan were worried about holding the Games, especially when cases of the disease rose in 2021. Some doctors and leaders asked to delay or cancel the event. In the end, the Games happened without any spectators to help keep people safe. After the Games, the number of COVID-19 cases in Japan went up.

Development and preparations

See also: Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games

The Tokyo Organizing Committee was led by a former Japanese prime minister until he left in 2021. This happened because he said things that were not kind. Seiko Hashimoto became the new leader. Tamayo Marukawa, the Minister for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, helped watch over everything.

Tokyo spent a lot of money to get ready for the Games. They built new train lines and improved roads to help people travel.

Venues and infrastructure

Main article: Venues of the 2020 Summer Olympics and Paralympics

Tokyo built many places for the Olympics. They updated an old stadium and made a new one. Some events moved to a different city because of weather worries. The city also made improvements to help people who have trouble moving around.

Security

Japan worked to keep everyone safe during the Olympics. They did not allow drones near Olympic places. They also did practice drills to be ready for any problems.

Volunteers

Many people wanted to help as volunteers for the Olympics. They had special names for different kinds of helpers. Because of the pandemic, many volunteers decided not to help.

Medals

Further information: Olympic medal

Tokyo made special medals for the Olympics from old electronics. They turned these items into medals with different designs and ribbons.

Torch relay

The torch for the Olympics started in Greece and then came to Japan. Because of the pandemic, the torch was kept safe until it could start its trip again. The torch ended in Tokyo where a tennis player lit a big fire to start the Games.

Biosecurity protocols

To keep everyone healthy, there were special rules. People had to wash their hands often, stay far apart, and wear masks. They also had to use a special app. Many people could not watch the Games because of these rules.

Ticketing

Tickets for the Olympics were very expensive. Because of the pandemic, no people from other countries could come to watch. Even people living in Japan were not allowed to attend most events.

Cultural festival

A special festival called Nippon Festival was planned for the Olympics. Because of the pandemic, many events moved online. There were still some concerts and shows, but many big plans were canceled or changed.

The Games

Opening ceremony

The opening ceremony happened on July 23, 2021, at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo. Athletes from each country marched in a parade. Emperor Naruhito officially opened the Games. At the end of the torch relay, Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka lit the Olympic cauldron.

For the first time, one male and one female athlete from each country held flags together during the ceremony. This change was made to include everyone more.

Sports

The Games had 339 medal events in 33 different sports. New sports like karate, sport climbing, surfing, and skateboarding were added. Baseball and softball also returned for this one time.

The goal was to make the Games more fun for younger people and to include more women. New events such as 3×3 basketball and freestyle BMX were added. Mixed events, where men and women compete together, were also added in several sports.

Test events

Before the Olympics, there were test events to make sure everything was ready. These events started in 2018 and went through 2019. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many test events planned for 2020 were postponed. The Tokyo Organizing Committee and other sports groups organized these events.

Participating National Olympic Committees

See also: 2020 Summer Olympics Parade of Nations

North Macedonia joined the Olympics under its new name after solving naming issues with Greece. Eswatini also changed its name from Swaziland when it joined the Olympics.

Russia faced problems with rules about fair play in sports. They could not use its name, flag, or anthem. They competed under the name "ROC" from the Russian Olympic Committee.

North Korea chose not to join the games because of worries about COVID-19. Guinea first said it would not join but later decided to take part.

The following 206 teams took part (including places kept open for all nations to send athletes in some sports).

Number of athletes by National Olympic Committee

There were 11,420 athletes from 206 NOCs:

Calendar

See also: Chronological summary of the 2020 Summer Olympics

The 2020 Summer Olympics were planned for July to August 2020. Because of health concerns, the games were moved to 2021. All events started on July 21 and ended on August 8, 2021.

All times and dates use Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)

Medal table

See also: 2020 Summer Olympics medal table and List of 2020 Summer Olympics medal winners

  *   Host nation (Japan)

Podium sweeps

There were two podium sweeps.

Medal ceremonies

Naoki Satō made the music for the medal ceremonies. He chose music that made athletes from all countries feel welcome.

The flowers for the athletes came from places affected by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. The flowers represented different areas. The sunflowers came from Miyagi. The white and purple eustomas and Solomon's seals came from Fukushima. The small bright blue gentians came from Iwate. The aspidistras came from Tokyo.

Event scheduling

Swimming finals were held in the morning so people in the Americas could watch them live in the evening. NBC paid to show the Olympics and helped decide when events would happen. This decision was not popular with Japanese broadcasters because swimming is a popular event in Japan.

Marketing

The official emblems for the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics were shown on April 25, 2016. They were designed by Asao Tokolo, who won a contest. The emblem looks like a ring with an indigo checkerboard pattern. It was inspired by a traditional Japanese design from the Edo period.

The Games used the slogan Discover Tomorrow, with the word “tomorrow” also meaning “future” in Japanese. Later, the slogan United by Emotion was added in 2020.

The official mascot was Miraitowa, a character with blue-checkered patterns. Miraitowa was created by Japanese artist Ryo Taniguchi. The mascot’s name combines the words for “future” and “eternity.” The mascot was chosen through a competition and was expected to help support the Games.

Five traditional Japanese colors were used in the branding alongside the main blue color.

Concerns and controversies

Main article: Concerns and controversies at the 2020 Summer Olympics

See also: Belarus 2020 Summer Olympics scandal

There were many issues and debates around the Tokyo Games. Some people felt it was unfair when Tokyo was chosen to host the Olympics. There were also worries about using wood from forests that were being cut down.

Some events were planned to be held in areas that had been affected by past natural disasters. This made some people worried because it could slow down recovery efforts. There were also disagreements about flags and maps used during the Games.

Leaders of the Games faced criticism for remarks that were not respectful, and some people in charge had to step down because of their words. Many volunteers decided not to help because of worries about health during the pandemic. Some athletes faced issues because of their political views.

Broadcasting

Main article: List of 2020 Summer Olympics broadcasters

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games were watched by many people around the world. Digital platforms showed the games more than ever before. Companies like Sony, Panasonic, and NHK worked together to create special standards for clear TV pictures for the games. RAI, an Italian TV company, also planned to use these clear pictures. NTT Docomo and Nokia helped set up fast networks in Japan. Audio-Technica gave NBC Sports Group the equipment they needed to show the games.