Everything in the world came to a standstill when the pandemic came into existence. From sports to tourism, everything stopped. In March 2020, the news was announced that all the nations worldwide are imposing an unprecedented lockdown for an indefinite period. The result was that people could not travel from one country to another, local travels were put on a halt, and people could not come out of their homes. Speaking of which, this also affected the 2020 Tokyo Olympic games. Yes, today, we are going to talk about the games, in particular.
So, if you have been feeling out of the entire loop, you are not alone here. We will give you an overview of everything you must know about the games to get you updated and up to your speed. To begin with, what are the Olympics? The games’ opening ceremony was scheduled for July 23, Friday, with the closing ceremony on August 8, 2021. Having said that, did you know that Japan is 13 hours ahead of the ETZ? Well, yes, we are talking about 3:30 AM. and, where can you watch the games? CBD tends to hold the broadcasting rights to the games with coverage present and free streaming via the CBC website and CBC Gem, along with the mobile app.
However, if you are one of the viewers who do not know why the games are called Tokyo 2020, know that the pandemic officially postponed the games. And, if the management had changed the name and merchandise of the entire tournament, many things would have been affected.
What is The Tokyo 2020s Emblem?
The native of Tokyo Asao Tokyo happened to beat the 14,598 designs to succeed and win an open competition, which was the first-ever in the Games’ history to create and design the Olympic emblem. The emblem comprises a chequered design, composed of three rectangular shapes, traditional Japanese motifs in a conventional Japanese color of white and indigo blue, representing different cultures, countries, and ways of thinking. The emblem is known to integrate a message called unity is diversity and convey the intention of the games to promote the platform to connect the world.
How about a mascot?
The mascot of the Tokyo Olympics is known as Miraitowa, whose design was chosen by elementary school children across the entire nation. If you did not know, the name is a blend of the Japanese words for eternity and future and is reckoned to symbolize a future of hope for people worldwide. This is one of the designs that incorporate a similar chequered motif, which is also available in white and blue, just as the emblem of the tournament.
What are the COVID-19 updates in Japan?
Tokyo fell under the fourth state of emergency, leading to a spike of COVID cases, with the infection reaching out through the deadly delta strain this time. However, a state of emergency is not similar to total lockdowns imposed by the Canadian government. Japan’s lockdown was like closing bars and restaurants early and not serving alcoholic beverages while the games were happening. In addition, even the torch relays are scaled back from the public roads along with dropping promotional events.
Vaccinations
Over 80% of people in the games’ village have been vaccinated. Moreover, the IOC announced that BioNTech and Pfizer might donate vaccines to participants from Paralympic and national Olympic committees.
What about fans?
Did you know that fans from abroad were banned months ago? No fans were allowed from foreign countries to attend the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Speaking of which, only a few outlying venues allowed a meager amount of fans, but Tokyo 2020 games were effectively the TV-only event.
How many events?
If a viewer watches everything, how many events will they be watching? This is one of the questions asked by several people online. Know that the competition featured more than 330 events, 339 to be specific, across 50 disciplines and 33 sports. Nut, what was new? Well, four sports were making Olympic debuts. Sport climbing combined three disciplines over the artificial rock wall: bouldering, speed climbing, and lead climbing. Forty athletes took part in surfing for the very first time, competing on the six-feet long “shortboards.”
Softball and baseball also returned to the regular schedule, having been removed in 2008’s Games. Various other sports comprised new events, such as basketball, which included a three-on-three competition.
What’s on its way out?
This was the last year where viewers and Olympic enthusiasts saw the vintage 50km race walk at the games. This event will be discontinued after 2022, where around two of 10, 20, 30, or 35km events will be making their way up.
Featured Image Credits: Pixabay
