Troubled by pandemic, Tokyo Games open with scaled-back ceremony
Japan's Naomi Osaka reacts after lighting the cauldron during the opening ceremony at the Olympic Stadium for the 2020 Summer Olympics, July 23, in Tokyo. AP-Yonhap
It has been eight years in the making, and the 32nd Olympic Summer Games finally kicked off in Tokyo, Friday, with a sobering, toned-down opening ceremony held at the Olympic Stadium without spectators due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Some 11,000 athletes from 205 countries, plus a team of refugees, will compete for 339 gold medals in 33 sports until Aug. 8, while having to abide by strict health and safety protocols, the likes of which haven't been in place at any previous Olympics.
South Korea has sent 354 athletes and officials to compete in 29 sports, with an eye on six to seven gold medals and its fifth consecutive top-10 finish in the medal race.
Volleyball icon Kim Yeon-koung and teen swimming sensation Hwang Sun-woo carried the national flag for South Korea, which was represented by only 22 athletes and six officials at the ceremony.
Tokyo was awarded the right to host these Olympic Games in 2013. It had planned to showcase its recovery from the catastrophic tsunami and nuclear disaster in the northeast of the country in 2011.
Athletes watch as fireworks explode from the roof of the Olympic Stadium during the opening ceremony for the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics, July 23. AP-Yonhap
Little did anyone know another type of crisis would wreak havoc on Tokyo's grand plans and make these Olympic Games unprecedented on many levels.
The Olympics were postponed by one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. And with the virus still raging in Japan and around the world, the local organizers and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided to first keep international spectators from attending the event, and then took the same step with the domestic fans for events held in Tokyo. The city is under a state of emergency due to a spike in coronavirus cases.
Competitions held outside the capital city or in regions not under the same state of emergency will be able to allow fans to participate, but only in limited numbers.
Despite steps taken by Tokyo to ensure a safe staging of the Olympics, COVID-19 hasn't stopped spreading. The organizers reported 19 Olympic-linked cases Friday, including three athletes. Since July 1, there have been 106 cases involving participants in the Games.
Members of Team Korea carry their country's flag during the opening ceremony in the Olympic Stadium for the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics, July 23. AP-Yonhap
The buildup to the Olympics has been marred by a series of scandals, including departures of three members of the creative team for the ceremonies. And mounting criticism against the government for prioritizing the Olympics over public health concerns has dampened what little enthusiasm was left for the event. Top corporate sponsors, such as Toyota and Panasonic, didn't send executives.
Then there is the infamous summer heat of Tokyo to reckon with ― Russian archer Svetlana Gomboeva collapsed in scorching conditions Friday during the women's ranking round. She received medical attention while her teammates put bags of ice on her head to cool her down.
Marathon races have long been moved to the cooler northern city of Sapporo, a decision that looks smarter with each passing day.
Titled "United by Emotion," the opening ceremony was produced on Tokyo's hopes of bringing the world together through sport during the coronavirus pandemic.
However, strict COVID-19 protocols mean athletes and other Olympic participants will not be physically brought together.
Athletes were required to wear masks and maintain a safe distancing as they paraded into the stadium. Once the competition starts in earnest Saturday, medalists will have to pick up their own prizes from the tray and put them around their own necks. And there won't be handshakes or hugs among medalists.
Some athletes and flag bearers, including those from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Pakistan, didn't cover their faces. Maintaining distance also became a challenge as the parade wore on.
There were some cheeky touches to the otherwise muted ceremony. Placards displaying country names took the form of speech bubbles from manga, Japanese-style comics and graphic novels. The costumes for the placard bearers featured designs based on a printing technique used in manga.
Once the athletes completed their parade into the stadium, Japanese Emperor Naruhito declared the Games officially open, with the Olympic Flag being raised in the stadium.
Former baseball stars, medical workers and student-athletes covered the final leg of the Olympic torch relay, before handing the flame over to Naomi Osaka, the four-time Grand Slam tennis champion, to light the Olympic cauldron.
Born to a Japanese mother and a Haitian father, Osaka fit the ceremony's theme of diversity.
Osaka had her opening women's singles match pushed from Saturday to Sunday, leading to speculation that she would have a role during the opening ceremony. It turned out to be the most important assignment, one that capped off the near four-hour event. (Yonhap)