May 25, 2024

Photos: The 2020 Olympics in Tokyo

Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka lights the Olympic cauldron at the end of the opening ceremony on Friday, July 23.

Matthias Hangst/Getty Images

Updated 1709 GMT (0109 HKT) July 23, 2021

Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka lights the Olympic cauldron at the end of the opening ceremony on Friday, July 23.

Matthias Hangst/Getty Images

It’s a year later than expected, but the 2020 Summer Olympics are finally here.

Competition began earlier this week in Tokyo, and the opening ceremony took place Friday in the city’s National Stadium.

Thousands of athletes from more than 200 countries took part in the opening ceremony, but the stadium’s seats were mostly empty. Because of Covid-19 restrictions, only a select number of officials and some dignitaries were able to attend.

One of those dignitaries was Japan’s Emperor Naruhito, who formally declared the Olympics open. Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka received the honor of lighting the Olympic cauldron.

Tokyo is still under a state of emergency because of the Covid-19 pandemic that delayed the Games by a year, and there are no spectators allowed at any of the city’s Olympic venues. Just five of the 42 Olympic venues across Japan will be open to fans.

Some athletes have already had to withdraw from the Games because of positive Covid-19 tests.

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