Due to the postponement of one year later Coronavirus disease, Athletes from all over the world gather to compete for the gold medal in 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Familiar motions occurred in various parts of the host country. The gymnast flips and raises his arms. The football player cleverly dribbled the ball up and down the court. The dressage horse will show Piafis and a merry-go-round.
But there is still a difference that cannot be ignored. This year, athletes running, kicking, spinning and swimming in fanless silence are a gloomy reminder of the COVID-19 pandemic that is raging in Tokyo and most of the world.
Only in remote events—such as a football match in northern Miyagi Prefecture—fans are allowed to enter. Even so, capacity is severely limited.
On July 24, 2021, at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, two teams lined up before the men’s volleyball preliminaries. A game between Italy and Canada.
(AP Photo/Frank Augstein)
On July 25, 2021, on the second day of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the Women’s Doubles Group B match at the Musashino Forest Sports Plaza, Canada’s Rachel Hondrich (front) and Christine Tsai face off Matsumoto Mayu and Nagahara Kazuna of the Japanese team play in Chofu, Tokyo, Japan.
(Photo by Zhang Lintao/Getty Images)
Italy’s Asia D’Amato performs floor exercise during the Women’s Rhythmic Gymnastics Qualifying Tournament for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo on July 25, 2021.
(AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
On Saturday, July 24, 2021, Julia Sud and Kara Borg from Germany and Anuk Wei from Switzerland in the women’s beach volleyball match held in the empty Shiofeng Park for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. Ji Depree and Joanna Heydrich played a game.
(AP Photo/Felipe Dana)
Just two days before the opening of the Olympic Games, the Japanese capital reported 1,832 new cases of the virus, which quickly rose to a six-month high.
Tokyo 2020 officials banned spectators from entering all sports events, stadiums and Olympic venues on July 8, after a sudden increase in cases of highly infectious delta virus, forcing Japan to declare a public health emergency.
However, the Olympic Village is far from empty. It is estimated that approximately 11,500 athletes will participate in the competition in Japan, and an estimated 79,000 journalists, officials and staff will participate.
As of Sunday, 79 people associated with the Tokyo Olympics have tested positive for COVID-19.
On July 25, 2020, at the Ariake Gymnastics Center in Tokyo, Japan, on the second day of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Shallon Olsen of the Canadian team participated in the women’s qualifying round.
(Photo by Jamie Squier/Getty Images)
In the men’s football match of the 2020 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan on July 22, 2021, the stands were empty. Japanese player Maya Yoshida (left) scored a penalty kick against South Africa.
(AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)
On July 24, 2021, at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Taiwan’s Lin Chenhao (center right) and Israel’s Shira Rishony (Shira Rishony) participated in a 48 kg women’s competition without spectators.
(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
In the first round of the 2020 Summer Olympics tennis tournament in Tokyo, Japan on July 25, 2021, Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime (Felix Auger-Aliassime) vs. Australia’s Max Purcell (Max Purcell).
(AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
On July 22, 2021, in the softball match between Italy and Australia at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Fukushima, Japan, Australian player Kaia Parnaby pitched.
(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Athletes from all over the world including Canada participated in the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics. The 2020 competition will last until August 8. A total of 370 athletes from Canada participated, which is the country’s largest delegation since 1984.
Marco Balich, who has been the executive producer of the opening ceremony for a long time and is currently the senior consultant of the Tokyo ceremony executive producer, told Reuters that the scale of the event has been reduced in order to provide “thought-provoking” performances.
He said: “We must do our best to complete this unique and hopefully the only Olympic Games of its kind.”
“This will be a more thought-provoking ceremony. Nevertheless, beautiful Japanese aesthetics. Very Japanese, but also in sync with today’s emotions and reality.”
On July 25, 2021, Arianna Erigo (right) of the Italian team and Jessica Chikaguo of the Canadian team in the third round of the women’s individual foil match of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games held at the Chiba Makuhari Messe, Japan Duel.
(Photo by Matthias Hanster/Getty Images)
On July 25, 2021, the U.S. team played against Romania in the 2020 Summer Olympics women’s 3-on-3 basketball match in Tokyo, Japan.
(AP Photo/Jeff Robertson)
On July 25, 2021, during the women’s hockey match between China and Japan at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, due to COVID-19 restrictions on the north court of Oi Hockey Stadium, there were still no fans in the stands.
(AP Photo/John Minchlow)
Players from Brazil and Ivory Coast warm up at the International Stadium before the men’s football match at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Yokohama, Japan, on July 25, 2021.
(AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)
-Documents from the Associated Press and Reuters
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