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The 2020 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXXII Olympiad and branded as Tokyo 2020, is an international multi-sport event scheduled to be held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events beginning on 21 July. Originally scheduled to take place from 24 July to 9 August 2020, the event was postponed in March 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and will be held largely behind closed doors with no public spectators permitted under the state of emergency. Despite being rescheduled for 2021, the event retains the Tokyo 2020 name for marketing and branding purposes. This is the first time that the Olympic Games have been postponed and rescheduled, rather than cancelled.
The 2020 Games will see the introduction of new competitions including 3x3 basketball and freestyle BMX, and the return of madison cycling, baseball and softball. Under new IOC policies, which allow the host organizing committee to add new sports to the Olympic program to augment the permanent core events, these Games will see karate, sport climbing, surfing, and skateboarding make their Olympic debuts.
Asahi Shimbun conducted a survey prior to the Games, quizzed respondents on whether they support holding the Olympics and found that just 33 percent are in support while 55 percent are opposed. In Tokyo, where coronavirus cases are surging under a fourth state of emergency, 30 percent expressed support for the Games while 58 percent said they oppose holding them. When respondents were asked about whether they want to watch the sporting events on TV or through other media, 56 percent said they “want to watch,” while 41 percent said they “don’t want to watch them so much.”
