The Olympic flame for #Tokyo2020 has been lit as this year’s Olympics kick off in Japan

JUST IN: The Olympic flame for #Tokyo2020 has been lit as this year’s Olympics kick off in Japan.

Tokyo Olympics open hoping sport takes centre stage amid lingering shadow of #Covid-19
Games officially get underway with Friday’s opening ceremony after an unprecedented delay, controversy in the build-up, and a sense of unease among the #Japanese public

It’s a year late and the Olympic Games open on Friday today amid turmoil, distrust and the ever-present threat of #Covid-19.

The Tokyo Olympics were originally billed to the Japanese people as the « #recovery Games » as it comes 10 years after the devastating earthquake, tsunami, and subsequent Fukushima power plant explosion. This notion has been somewhat lost, as the Games, which were delayed due to the #Covid-19 pandemic, are largely unpopular among the Japanese public. They fear the risk of further infection, so much so it has spurred rare scenes of protests in the capital.

As the #Olympic torch relay completes its 121-day journey around the country, it is headed towards the new Olympic Stadium in #Tokyo. Rebuilt on the site that hosted the 1964 summer games, it now has the capacity to hold 68,000 people. On Friday night, however, it will host just 950 for a grand opening ceremony, as most fans and spectators have been barred from events to prevent the spread of the #coronavirus.

For 121 days from the grand start to today, the torch that was connected by 10,000 #torchbearers from 47 prefectures was ignited by the final runner, Kankuro Nakamura.

#OlympicTorchRelay #Olympics

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