The 2020 edition of the Summer Olympics is nearing the countdown in the Japanese capital of Tokyo. What should have been held in 2020 as per the four-year mandate was kept deferring in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The games were postponed for over a year and the host city Tokyo is all set to conduct the Olympics finally and the sporting event will be taking place for two weeks from July 23 to August 8 during which the eyes of the entire world will be on the Olympic village as thousands of athletes are coming under one roof to compete on the track amid growing Covid-19 cases.

Tokyo 2020 Olympics will be different from its predecessors and probably from its successors as what has been called the biggest sporting event in the world would be unfolded in Tokyo in the midst of tensions and protests. The city and the territory of Japan had witnessed several protests there were more episodes of unrest whenever the Japanese government had affirmed its commitment to hosting the Olympics. Tokyo will write a history of how it has hosted the global sporting event amid battling the global pandemic. 

For several months, the Japanese people had protested to cancel the Olympics in light of the rise of the variants of Covid-19. There were also global concerns with several countries had considered sending their athletes to the ground amid the pandemic. However, with the pervasive concerns, the Japanese government has asserted that it has deployed adequate quarantine and preventive measures to host the games and to accommodate the athletes in a new normal world. 

Even as the event is nearing its countdown, the COVID-19 cases in the Olympic village had crossed the 100-mark on Friday with the announcement of 19 new cases. In their daily COVID-19 update, the Tokyo Olympic organizers announced that three athletes, ten staff members, three media persons were among the new infections and the total number of cases stood at 106 as of Friday morning with 11 of them are athletes. 

The players from the contingent of the Czech Republic, two South African footballers, and an American beach volleyball player were among the people who had tested positive for the pandemic in the Olympic village. According to reports, some athletes have been forced to withdraw even before reaching Tokyo as they were found to be contracted the viral infection in their home countries. As the Covid-19 pandemic is rising at an alarming rate ahead of the commencement of the Olympic games, some of the notable athletes are going to miss the season. 

One of them is Britain's World No 1 shooter Amber Hill. She has withdrawn from the Olympics Wednesday after she had tested positive for the viral infection before her departure. Hill said she was devastated to miss the Olympics while the athletes who are participating in the games have been put under severe restrictions and tight quarantine rules by their own contingent and by the Japanese government. Though the games are for two weeks, it's a Himalayan task for Tokyo to successfully hand over the host for the upcoming season. 

According to reports, Tokyo will host over 15,000 athletes from 205 nations including the Paralympics which will feature over 4,000 athletes. In the 2016 Rio Olympics, the number of total athletes who participated stood at 14,800. A total of 33 sports will be held at the Tokyo Olympics this year as several new sports were being introduced including Karate, Softball, and Surfing. Tokyo Olympics will have a total of 43 venues and the opening ceremony will be held at the main Olympic stadium. 

To host the games, Tokyo has constructed a total of eight new permanent venues while ten venues will stand temporarily and the city will be using 25 existing venues. As part of its strict Covid protocol, Tokyo has been testing the athletes and officials who are suspected to have contracted the viral infection. They will be tested in a dedicated fever clinic in the Olympic village, which is expected to host 90,000 members including athletes, officials, staff members, and media persons. 

It has been reported that 80% of the village occupants have been vaccinated. From India, hundreds of athletes will be taking part in the games becoming one of the largest contingents. Tokyo is hosting the Olympics with a total budget of a whopping $15.4 million and however, on the other hand, around 4,15,000 people in Japan had signed a petition asking to cancel the Olympics. Amid such an unprecedented fashion of protests against the Olympics, Tokyo is all set to host the games and while it will get a place in history as a host, the question of how it successfully hosted the games amid the pandemic will be answered after two weeks.