THE TOKYO Olympics kicked off properly on Friday - albeit 12 months late - with an Opening Ceremony which passed off without major incident in front of thousands of empty seats.
Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka lit the flame in the cavernous Olympic Stadium to mark the official beginning of 16 full days of top sporting action in her home capital following the most difficult build-up to a Games in history.
After all, no one could have predicted much of what the world has been through in the last 18 months - and it is worth adding that these Olympics will take place while Tokyo is still officially in a state of emergency because of the coronavirus pandemic.
These Games are effectively shut away from any supporters, with even the Japanese public barred, as a fourth wave rips through the largely unvaccinated mega-metropolis.
Unsurprisingly, the Olympic Village has not escaped the coronavirus carnage with the latest figures showing that there have now been 127 confirmed cases among the athletes and officials so far.
As recently as Wednesday this week, the head of the Tokyo 2020+1 organising committee had not ruled out cancelling the Games "if there is a spike in cases".
But, on the same day, International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach said cancellation was "never an option".
Already, though, the level of concern among the Olympians is understandably high. Six Team GB athletes were forced to self-isolate on arrival in Japan after a passenger on their flight to Tokyo tested positive for COVID-19.
British 800m runner Daniel Rowden admitted that the news had left many in the team “in a little bit of a panic” as they wondered if they might be next.
“To be locked in a room and not be able to train takes away from your confidence, takes away from your preparation,” he said.
“And then also there’s a bit of fear that the same thing could happen to us. Those athletes were on the flight the day before us, so there’s a little bit of trepidation that the same thing could happen to people on our flight as well.”
Elsewhere, the United States gymnastics team - including potential star of the Olympics, Simone Biles - has decided to stay in a Tokyo hotel instead of the athletes' village.
Of course, some athletes did not even get to Tokyo - and not for the usual reason of failing to make the grade in qualifying.
Previous British medal hopeful Amber Hill has been forced to withdraw from the shooting competition after testing positive for COVID-19 - while the tennis draws have been particularly badly affected.
Several top players have withdrawn either due to health reasons or scheduling related challenges.
Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Dominic Thiem, Nick Kyrgios and Stan Wawrinka on the men’s side, as well as Simona Halep, Bianca Andreescu, Serena Williams and Coco Gauff on the women’s side, will not be at Tokyo 2020+1.
Worse still for Tokyo, the coronavirus pandemic has been far from the only major controversy in the build up to these Games.
In February, Yoshiro Mori was forced to step down as the head of the organising committee after he made remarks about women that were criticised as "inappropriate".
Mr Mori was quoted as saying women talked too much and that meetings with many female board directors would "take a lot of time".
In March, Olympics' creative chief Hiroshi Sasaki had to step down after suggesting that plus-size comedian Naomi Watanabe could appear at the Opening Ceremony as an "Olympig".
Then, earlier this week, composer Keigo Oyamada quit the team creating the ceremony after it emerged he had bullied classmates with disabilities at school.
Somehow, the scandal was not over - and, on Thursday, director of the Opening Ceremony - Kentaro Kobayashi - was sacked after footage from 1998 emerged in which he made jokes about the Holocaust.
Those comments may have been a long time ago - but that revelation was the last thing which these Olympics needed - and some of the Japanese the public, and even some of the the sponsors, have already seen enough.
A poll - held earlier this week - reported in the Asahi Shimbun newspaper, itself an official media partner, found that just 33% are in support of the Games being held, while 55% are opposed.
That is actually an improvement on an earlier poll, held in May, in which an incredible 83% of Japanese voters said the Tokyo Olympics should be postponed or scrapped.
However, that slight softening of attitude has still not been enough to prevent some of the biggest sponsors in Japan from cutting back on their own costs.
Motor manufacturer Toyota, a top-tier sponsor, announced on Monday that it would scrap its Olympic-themed television adverts in Japan for the duration of the Games - and its president, Akio Toyoda, was not at the Opening Ceremony.
In this latter regard, other household Japanese names quickly followed suit.
NTT, NEC, Panasonic and Fujitsu, along with the leaders of Keidanren - the country’s most powerful business lobby - all abandoned the idea of attending the big curtain-raiser.
For sure then, the Opening Ceremony was a bereft affair - shorn of supporters and sponsors, there was a much-reduced number of athletes who dutifully filed their way into the Olympic Stadium to little fanfare.
Rower Mohamed Sbihi and sailor Hannah Mills were the two Team GB flag-bearers - but only 22 British athletes, out of a total cohort of 375, took part in the parade.
In fairness to them, the athletes' focus - having at least actually made it this far - will no doubt now be on their event, and their Olympic dreams of glory.
Of course, Team GB has performed extremely well at recent Olympics - finishing in fourth, third and second place in the medal tables of Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Rio de Janeiro 2016 with gold medal totals of 19, 29 and 27 and overall medal totals of 51, 65 and 67 respectively.
Similarly, on this occasion, Britain can again expect to be pretty competitive with 12 particularly big chances of success listed below:
- Adam Peaty • Swimming • 100m breaststroke
This is something of a banker - Peaty has not lost a single race in seven years and holds the fastest 20 times ever recorded in the event - Lauren Price • Boxing • Middleweight
Price is the top-ranked female boxer in this category so she has been hotly tipped to follow in the footsteps of two-time heavyweight champion Nicola Adams - Jade Jones • Taekwondo • Featherweight
This would be a third successive gold for Flint-born Jones but her defence four years ago is the only successful back-to-back triumph since taekwondo was introduced to the Olympics in 2000. - Charlotte Dujardin • Equestrian • Individual eventing, Team eventing
Dujardin's horse Valegro was retired after the Games in Rio so the triple-gold medal winner will instead mount Gio in both the individual and team events - Sholto Carnegie Oliver Cook Rory Gibbs Matthew Rossiter • Rowing • Men's four
Victory in Tokyo would be a sixth successive Olympic gold for Team GB in this event but this new-look quad will face tough competition from Australia - Bianca Walkden • Taekwondo • Heavyweight
Walkden won bronze in Rio de Janeiro but can use her wealth of experience to make it into the gold medal bout this time - Jason Kenny • Cycling • Men's sprint, Men's keirin, Men's team sprint
Already with six golds on the mantelpiece, Kenny has three chances to get the one medal which he needs to become the most decorated Olympian in Team GB history - Laura Kenny • Cycling • Women's omnium, Women's madison, Women's team pursuit
The four-time gold medallist also has three events in which to increase her haul
- Dina Asher-Smith • Athletics • Women's 200m
The 25-year-old took gold in this event at the 2019 World Championships in Doha and is by far Team GB's best medal hope in the athletics arena - Max Whitlock • Gymnastics • Pommel horse
Whitlock became Britain's first ever gold medallist in artistic gymnastics when he won both the men's floor and pommel horse exercises in Rio de Janeiro, and he will compete again on the pommel horse in Tokyo - Andy Murray Joe Salisbury • Tennis • Men's doubles
Murray is unlikely to be too competitive in the defence of his singles' title but stands a good chance of adding to his medal haul alongside specialist doubles player Salisbury - Dan Goodfellow Jack Laugher • Diving • 3m synchronized springboard
Laugher - with Chris Mears - stunned the Chinese five years ago in Rio de Janeiro when the pair became Britain's first diving Olympic champions, and Laugher has now built up a similarly impressive partnership with Goodfellow in this event
In a refreshingly understanding approach, UK Sport has broken from recent tradition by declining to provide Team GB with an official medals target.
The governing body has still gone on record to state that it hopes Team GB will win between 45 and 70 medals at Tokyo 2020+1, down from a previous prediction in 2018 of between 54 and 92.
But UK Sport said that the new aspirations follow close consultation with sports and take account of the "extraordinary circumstances" presented to athletes and staff in the build-up to the Games.
Furthermore, success will be measured in a "broader and more holistic" way than just the number of medals, it added.
This change in approach is welcome - but it is also typical really of the world in which we currently live - a place of fear and death where nothing feels particularly certain.
May the Olympic flame provide some light and warmth over the next couple of weeks. The world certainly needs it.
🔴 2020+1 TOKYO OLYMPICS🔴
SPORT-BY-SPORT PREVIEW
🔴ARCHERY
• 23 July-31 July • Yumenoshima Park • Medal events 5
Team GB
• Tom Hall, Patrick Huston, James Woodgate
• Sarah Bettles, Naomi Folkard, Bryony Pitman
🔴 ATHLETICS
• 30 July-8 August • Olympic Stadium • Medal events 48
Team GB
• Zharnel Hughes, Reece Prescod, Chijindu Ujah, Adam Gemili, Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake, Oliver Dustin, Elliot Giles, Daniel Rowden, Jake Heyward, Josh Kerr, Jake Wightman, Andrew Butchart, Marc Scott, Sam Atkin, David King, Andrew Pozzi, Phil Norman, Zak Seddon, Jona Efoloko, Richard Kilty, Niclas Baker, Cameron Chalmers, Matthew Hudson-Smith, Michael Ohioze, Lee Thompson, Joe Brier, Tom Bosworth, Callum Wilkinson, Ben Connor, Callum Hawkins, Chris Thompson, Ben Williams, Tom Gale, Harry Coppell, Scott Lincoln, Lawrence Okoye, Taylor Campbell, Nick Miller
• Dina Asher-Smith, Daryll Neita, Asha Philip, Beth Dobbin, Ama Pipi, Jodie Williams, Nicole Yeargin, Alexandra Bell, Keely Hodgkinson, Jemma Reekie, Laura Muir, Katie Snowden, Revée Walcott-Nolan, Jessica Judd, Eilish McColgan, Amy-Eloise Markovc, Tiffany Porter, Cindy Sember, Meghan Beesley, Jessie Knight, Jessica Turner, Elizabeth Bird, Aimee Pratt, Imani-Lara Lansiquot, Ashleigh Nelson, Zoey Clarke, Emily Diamond, Laviai Nielsen, Hannah Williams, Stephanie Davis, Jess Piasecki, Steph Twell, Abigail Irozuru, Jazmin Sawyers, Lorraine Ugen, Emily Borthwick, Morgan Lake, Holly Bradshaw, Sophie McKinna, Katarina Johnson-Thompson
🔴 BADMINTON
• 24 July-2 August • Musashino Forest Sport Plaza • Medal events 5
Team GB
• Toby Penty, Ben Lane, Sean Vendy, Marcus Ellis
• Kirsty Gilmour, Chloe Birch, Lauren Smith
🔴 BASEBALL
• 28 July-7 August • Fukushima Azuma Stadium • Medal events 1
No Team GB competitors
🔴 BASKETBALL
• 25 July-8 August (basketball) • Saitama Super Arena • Medal events 2
• 24 July-28 July (3x3 basketball) • Aomi Urban Sports Park • Medal events 2
No Team GB competitors
🔴 BOXING
• 24 July-8 August • Kokugikan Arena • Medal events 13
Team GB
• Galai Yafai, Peter McGrail, Luke McCormack, Pat McCormack, Ben Whittaker, Cheavon Clarke, Frazer Clarke
• Charley Davison, Karriss Artingstall, Caroline Dubois, Lauren Price
🔴 CANOEING
• 25 July-30 July (slalom) • Kasai Canoe Slalom Centre • Medal events 4
• 2 August-7 August (sprint) • Sea Forest Waterway • Medal events 12
Team GB
• Adam Burgess, Bradley Forbes-Cryans, Liam Heath
• Mallory Franklin, Kimberley Woods, Katie Reid, Emily Lewis, Deborah Kerr
🔴 CLIMBING
• 3 August-6 August • Aomi Urban Sports Park • Medal events 2
Team GB
• Shauna Coxsey
🔴 CYCLING
• 24 July-28 July (road) • Musashinonomori Park, Fuji International Speedway • Medal events 4
• 2 August-8 August (track) • Izu Velodrome • Medal events 12
• 29 July-1 August (BMX) • Ariake Urban Sports Park • Medal events 4
• 26 July-27 July (mountain bike) • Izu MTB Course • Medal events 2
Team GB
• Tao Geoghegan Hart, Geraint Thomas, Adam Yates, Scott Yates, James Knox, Jack Carlin, Jason Kenny, Ryan Owens, Philip Hindes, Ed Clancy, Ethan Hayter, Ethan Vernon, Matthew Walls, Oliver Wood, Charlie Tanfield, Tom Pidcock, Kye White, Ross Cullen, Declan Brooks, James Jones
• Elizabeth Deignan, Anna Shackley, Joscelin Lowden, Katy Marchant, Katie Archibald, Elinor Barker, Neah Evans, Laura Kenny, Josie Knight, Ellie Dickinson, Evie Richards, Bethany Shriever, Charlotte Worthington
🔴 DIVING
• 25 July-7 August • Tokyo Aquatics Centre • Medal events 8
Team GB
• James Heatly, Jack Laugher, Tom Daley, Noah Williams, Daniel Goodfellow, Matty Lee
• Scarlett Mew Jensen, Grace Reid, Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix, Lois Toulson, Katherine Torrance, Eden Cheng
🔴 EQUESTRIAN
• 24 July-7 August • Equestrian Park • Medal events 6
Team GB
• Carl Hester, Tom McEwen, Oliver Townend, Scott Brash, Ben Maher, Harry Charles, Gareth Hughes
• Charlotte Dujardin, Charlotte Fry, Laura Collett, Holly Smith, Rosalind Canter
🔴 FENCING
• 24 July-1 August • Makuhari Messe Hall • Medal events 12
Team GB
• Marcus Mepstead
🔴 FIELD HOCKEY
• 24 July-6 August • Oi Hockey Stadium • Medal events 2
Team GB
• David Ames, Jacob Draper, Alan Forsyth, Rupert Shipperley, Harry Martin, Chris Griffiths, Ian Sloan, Sam Ward, Phil Roper, Adam Dixon (c), Brendan Creed, Ollie Payne, Liam Ansell, Jack Waller, James Gall, Liam Sanford, Tom Sorsby, Zach Wallace
• Giselle Ansley, Grace Balsdon, Fiona Crackles, Maddie Hinch, Sarah Jones, Hannah Martin, Shona McCallin, Lily Owsley, Hollie Pearne-Webb, Izzy Petter, Ellie Rayer, Sarah Robertson, Anna Toman, Susannah Townsend, Laura Unsworth, Leah Wilkinson, Sabbie Heesh, Jo Hunter
🔴 FOOTBALL
• 21 July-7 August • Olympic Stadium (finals), various other venues • Medal events 2
Team GB
• Ellie Roebuck, Lucy Bronze, Demi Stokes, Keira Walsh, Steph Houghton (c), Sophie Ingle, Nikita Parris, Kim Little, Ellen White, Fran Kirby, Caroline Weir, Rachel Daly, Carly Telford, Millie Bright, Lauren Hemp, Leah Williamson, Georgia Stanway, Jill Scott, Niamh Charles, Ella Toone, Lotte Wubben-Moy, Sandy MacIver
🔴 GOLF
• 29 July-7 August • Kasumigaseki Country Club • Medal events 2
Team GB
• Paul Casey, Tommy Fleetwood
• Jodi Ewart Shadoff, Mel Reid
🔴 GYMNASTICS
• 24 July-3 August (artistic) • Ariake Gymnastics Centre • Medal events 14
• 6 August-8 August (rhythmic) • Ariake Gymnastics Centre • Medal events 2
• 30 July-31 July (trampoline) • Ariake Gymnastics Centre • Medal events 2
Team GB
• Joe Fraser, James Hall, Giarnni Regini-Moran, Max Whitlock, Jake Jarman
• Jennifer Gadirova, Jessica Gadirova, Alice Kinsella, Amelie Morgan, Laura Gallagher, Bryony Page, Georgia-Mae Fenton
🔴 HANDBALL
• 24 July-8 August • Yoyogi National Stadium • Medal events 2
No Team GB competitors
🔴 JUDO
• 24 July-31 July • Nippon Budokan • Medal events 15
Team GB
• Ashley McKenzie
• Chelsie Giles, Lucy Renshall, Gemma Howell, Natalie Powell, Sarah Adlington
🔴 KARATE
• 5 August-7 August • Nippon Budokan • Medal events 8
No Team GB competitors
🔴 MODERN PENTATHLON
• 5 August-7 August • Musashino Forest Sport Plaza, Ajinomoto Stadium • Medal events 2
Team GB
• Joe Choong, Jamie Cooke
• Kate French, Jo Muir
🔴 ROWING
• 23 July-30 July • Sea Forest Waterway • Medal events 14
Team GB
• John Collins, Graeme Thomas, Sholto Carnegie, Oliver Cook, Rory Gibbs, Matthew Rossiter, Tom Barras, Jack Beaumont, Angus Groom, Harry Leask, Josh Bugajski, Jacob Dawson, Charles Elwes, Thomas Ford, Thomas George, James Rudkin, Mohamed Sbihi, Oliver Wynne-Griffith, Henry Fieldman (cox)
• Victoria Thornley, Helen Glover, Polly Swann, Emily Craig, Imogen Grant, Karen Bennett, Rowan McKellar, Rebecca Shorten, Harriet Taylor, Lucy Glover, Charlotte Hodgkins-Byrne, Mathilda Hodgkins-Byrne, Hannah Scott, Chloe Brew, Katherine Douglas, Rebecca Edwards, Emily Ford, Fiona Gammond, Caragh McMurtry, Rebecca Muzerie, Sara Parfett, Matilda Horn (cox)
🔴 RUGBY SEVENS
• 26 July-31 July • Ajinomoto Stadium • Medal events 2
Team GB
• Alec Coombes, Ben Harris, Ethan Waddleton, Ross McCann, Alex Davis, Tom Mitchell, Robbie Fergusson, Dan Bibby, Harry Glover, Ollie Lindsay-Hague, Max McFarland, Dan Norton, Tom Bowen
• Holly Aitchison, Abbie Brown, Abi Burton, Deborah Fleming, Natasha Hunt, Megan Jones, Jasmine Joyce, Alex Matthews, Helena Rowland, Hannah Smith, Celia Quansah, Emma Uren, Lisa Thomson
🔴 SAILING
• 25 July-4 August • Enoshima Yacht Harbour • Medal events 10
Team GB
• Tom Squires, Elliot Hanson, Giles Scott, Chris Grube, Luke Patience, Stuart Bithell, Dylan Fletcher, John Gimson
• Emma Wilson, Alison Young, Eilidh McIntyre, Hannah Mills, Charlotte Dobson, Saskia Tidey, Anna Burnet
🔴 SHOOTING *withdrew after testing positive for COVID-19
• 24 July-2 August • Asaka Shooting Range • Medal events 15
Team GB
• Matthew Coward-Holley, Aaron Heading
• Seonaid McIntosh, Kirsty Hegarty, Amber Hill*
🔴 SKATEBOARDING
• 25 July-26 July (street) • Ariake Urban Sports Park • Medal events 2
• 4 August-5 August (park) • Ariake Urban Sports Park • Medal events 2
Team GB
• Sky Brown, Bombette Martin
🔴 SOFTBALL
• 21 July-27 July • Fukushima Azuma Stadium • Medal events 1
No Team GB competitors
🔴 SURFING
• 25 July-28 July • Tsurigasaki Surfing Beach • Medal events 2
No Team GB competitors
🔴 SWIMMING
• 24 July-1 August (swimming) • Tokyo Aquatics Centre • Medal events 35
• 4 August-5 August (marathon swimming) • Odaiba Marine Park • Medal events 2
Team GB
• Ben Proud, Matt Richards, Jacob Whittle, Tom Dean, Duncan Scott, Kieran Bird, Daniel Jervis, Luke Greenbank, Brodie Williams, Adam Peaty, James Wilby, Ross Murdoch, James Guy, Jacob Peters, Joe Litchfield, Max Litchfield, Callum Jarvis, Hector Pardoe
• Anna Hopkin, Freya Anderson, Kathleen Dawson, Cassie Wild, Sarah Vasey, Molly Renshaw, Abbie Wood, Harriet Jones, Laura Stephens, Alys Thomas, Alicia Wilson, Aimee Willmott, Lucy Hope, Alice Dearing
🔴 SYNCHORNISED SWIMMING
• 2 August-7 August • Tokyo Aquatics Centre • Medal events 2
Team GB
• Kate Shortman, Isabelle Thorpe
🔴 TABLE TENNIS
• 24 July-6 August • Tokyo Metropolitian Gymnasium • Medal events 5
Team GB
• Liam Pitchford, Paul Drinkhall
• Tin-Tin Ho
🔴 TAEKWONDO
• 24 July-27 July • Makuhari Messe Hall • Medal events 8
Team GB
• Bradly Sinden, Mahama Cho
• Jade Jones, Lauren Williams, Bianca Walkden
🔴 TENNIS
• 24 July-1 August • Ariake Tennis Park • Medal events 5
Team GB
• Liam Broady, Andy Murray, Joe Salisbury, Jamie Murray, Neal Skupski
• Heather Watson
🔴 TRIATHLON
• 26 July-31 July • Odaiba Marine Park • Medal events 3
Team GB
• Jonathan Brownlee, Alex Yee
• Vicky Holland, Jess Learmonth, Georgia Taylor-Brown
🔴 VOLLEYBALL & BEACH VOLLEYBALL
• 24 July-7 August (beach volleyball) • Shiokaze Park • Medal events 2
• 24 July-8 August (volleyball) • Ariake Arena• Medal events 2
No Team GB competitors
🔴 WATER POLO
• 24 July-8 August • Tatsuni Water Polo Centre • Medal events 2
No Team GB competitors
🔴 WEIGHTLIFTING
• 24 July-4 August • Tokyo International Forum • Medal events 14
Team GB
• Zoe Smith, Sarah Davies, Emily Muskett, Emily Campbell
🔴 WRESTLING
• 1 August-7 August • Makuhari Messe Hall • Medal events 18
No Team GB competitors
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