Tokyo Olympics 2021

Tokyo Olympics 2021

    The first Summer Olympic games in Asia were held in Tokyo, Japan in 1964.  Japan hosted the winter Olympics in 1972 and 1998.  Tokyo is again getting ready to host the major event in July 2021.  The games of 32nd Olympiad are going to start on July 23rd 2021, which was originally scheduled from 24th July to 8th August 2020, the event was postponed to July 2021 as a result Covid-19 outbreak in 2020. This is the first time to postpone and reschedule  the Olympic games rather than cancel.  Tokyo was selected as the host city for 2020 Olympic games in the 125th IOC session which was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2013.  This is the second time Japan hosting the Global major event.  The next Summer will be held in 2024, Paris.    

History of Olympic Games

The Olympic games can be divided into two parts, one is the ancient Olympics and the second is Modern Olympics.  The ancient Olympics were primarily a part of religious festivals in honor of Jesus, the father of Greek gods and Goddesses.  And these games were held in Olympia.  The ancient Olympics were started in the year of 776 B.C, games were held in Olympia every four years for almost 12 centuries.  

The Modern Olympic games began in 1896. The idea of the Modern Olympic games was first introduced by Baron Pierre de Coubertin of France in 1894.  Athens was the first host for the Modern Olympic games in 1896.  

The Olympic Torch

The Olympic torch relay is an important event of the Olympic games.  The Olympic torch or Flame emphasizes the relation between the Ancient and Modern Olympics.  The Olympic flame is usually carried by the runners from Olympia.  The Olympic torch relay will pass from every country and reach its final destination of the host city.  During the relay the flame never goes off.  It is carried to the host city by the celebrities or athletes. Among the thousands of the torch bearers who carry the flame from Olympia the host country.  First and the last torch relays are important for modern Olympics.  The idea of Olympic torch relay was first inaugurated in 1928 Olympic Games held in Amsterdam, and was first instituted in 1936 Olympic games held in Berlin.

Tokyo Olympics 2021

After long uncertainty due to Covid-19 outbreak in the world, 32 Olympic inaugural ceremonies are going to be held on 23rd July 2021.  The Olympic games will start from 24th July and end on 8th August 2021.  Almost 200 nations are participating in the Tokyo Olympics.  Total 33 sports competitions and 339 events held across 42 competition venues in the Tokyo Olympics.  Five new sports were introduced in this event.  Baseball, Softball, Karate, Sport Climbing, Skateboarding and Surfing are the new sports included in the Tokyo Olympics.  With this 18 new events and 474 extra athletes were added, so a total 11,091 athletes expected to participate in this major sporting event. 

List of Sports in Tokyo Olympics

• Archery
• Badminton
• Baseball and Softball
• Basketball
• Beach Volleyball
• Boxing
• Canoe or Kayak
• Climbing
• Cycling
• Diving
• Equestrian
• Fencing
• Field Hockey
• Golf
• Gymnastics
• Handball
• Judo
• Karate
• Modern Pentathlon
• Roller sport
• Rowing
• Rugby
• Sailing
• Shooting
• Football
• Surfing
• Synchronized Swimming
• Table Tennis
• Taekwondo
• Tennis
• Track and Field
• Triathlon
• Volleyball
• Water Polo
• Weight Lifting
• Wrestling

Challenges for Tokyo Olympics

Covid-19 continues to challenge the Tokyo Olympics 2021.  The recent increase of Virus cases, the head of Tokyo’s Medical Association warned that the rising infection could cause a hold on the games.  An increase of cases in the city of Osaka, has already forced organizers to change the schedule of torch relay.  This  scares the sports persons, sports lovers, Olympic Committee and the Japan Government.  Some athletes hesitate to travel to the Olympics during the pandemic. Japan's vaccination programme has been the lowest among the developed countries, and is a major problem for the Olympics, which may cause a rise in Coronavirus.  The situation is continuously shifting, hope everything will be positive, and get ready to enjoy the biggest world sport event in a couple of days.