On July 24, the 2020 Olympic Games, Tokyo, were scheduled to take place. But the outbreak of COVID-19 shook the world and this monumental event had to be postponed to July 2021. And although it was the first time in history that the event was postponed, the task was not so easy to carry out. There were massive anti-Olympic protests for the Games to be cancelled due to the loss of lives because of the pandemic.
However, against all odds, the games kicked off amidst a lot of restrictions and precautions. With continuous tests, no spectators, and athletes leaving the country immediately after their participation came to an end, it was definitely one of the strangest Olympics ever held. Due to the lack of spectators and the unnaturally silent stadiums, the term ‘ghost Games’ became prominent.
As the world reunited for the first time after a horrendous virus, the Summer Olympics of Tokyo illustrated the message of unity and solidarity while focusing solely on sports and athletes. This event also saw the introduction of new sports like karate, skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing.
It also saw the debut of 3×3 basketball and BMX freestyle within existing sports. Not to forget, the new mixed team events that took place in judo, archery, athletics, table tennis, swimming, triathlon and shooting. Due to this programme amplification, it also took the crown for the most gender-balanced Olympics in history, where the ratio was almost 50:50 of male to female athletes.
Although the games commenced on July 21, the opening ceremony that lit the Japanese sky was celebrated on July 23. This article contains a brief overview of the Games featuring some of the pivotal statistics that shaped the event into a successful one. Let’s dive right into it!
Facts About the Games
Date: 21st July to 8th August 2021
Host city: Tokyo, Japan
Opening ceremony: 23rd July 2021
Closing ceremony: 8th August 2021
Athletes: 11420
Teams: 206
Medal events: 339
Total venues: 37
Tokyo Olympics motto: United by Emotion
The Medals Table: Top 10 Countries
Out of all the countries that participated in the 2020 Olympic Games, Tokyo, here are the top 10 countries that clinched the most number of medals.
| Country | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| United States | 39 | 41 | 33 | 113 |
| China | 38 | 32 | 19 | 89 |
| ROC | 20 | 28 | 23 | 71 |
| Great Britain | 22 | 20 | 22 | 64 |
| Japan | 27 | 14 | 17 | 58 |
| Australia | 17 | 7 | 22 | 46 |
| Italy | 10 | 10 | 20 | 40 |
| Germany | 10 | 11 | 16 | 37 |
| Netherlands | 10 | 12 | 14 | 36 |
| France | 10 | 12 | 11 | 33 |
The Top Athletes And World Records
Despite the grave mood post-pandemic, the athletes brought life to the event illuminating it with outstanding performances and shattering multiple world records. Despite the introduction of new sports, the 22 world records broken in the 2020 Olympic Games, Tokyo, were actually down compared to the 27 world records in the Rio Olympics.
Track cycling, swimming, weightlifting, athletics, shooting and sport climbing were the various sports that saw the shattering of world records. In athletics, the Norwegian Karsten Warholm broke his own record by running the men’s 400m hurdle race in 45.94 seconds. The Georgian Lasha Talakhadze broke three of his own records in weightlifting men’s +109kg – snatch, men’s +109kg – clean and jerk, and men’s +109kg – total.
Another name that echoed brilliance in the event was that of the Aussie swimmer Emma McKeon who grabbed a total of 7 medals which comprised 4 gold. American swimmer Caeleb Dressel also bagged 5 golds with an impressive performance. This event also saw the first female, Georgian sport shooter Nino Salukvadze, who participated in nine Olympic Games from 1988 to 2020.
2020 was a golden year for Italy as they bagged victory in Eurovision, UEFA European Championship and the most exceptional Olympics performance by yanking 40 medals with 10 golds! A total of 93 nations won medals in the 2020 Summer Games. Another superb record was of 65 nations winning gold medals.
The Philippines, Bermuda and Qatar also broke records by conquering their first-ever gold medals in the Olympics, while San Marino, Turkmenistan and Burkina Faso emerged glorious by gaining their first-ever medals in the Olympics.
It would not be an article about the Tokyo Olympics if the noteworthy contribution of women in this event is not stressed. So, here is a women-only events medal table that throws a light on the remarkable performance demonstrated by women in the 2020 Olympic Games, Tokyo.
| Country | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total | Percentage of all medals won by women |
| USA | 23 | 22 | 21 | 66 | 58.41% |
| China | 22 | 16 | 9 | 47 | 53.41% |
| Japan | 14 | 8 | 8 | 30 | 51.72% |
| Australia | 10 | 2 | 9 | 21 | 48.82% |
| ROC | 9 | 15 | 8 | 32 | 45.07% |
| New Zealand | 6 | 3 | 2 | 11 | 55% |
| Great Britain | 6 | 7 | 11 | 24 | 40.67% |
| Canada | 5 | 5 | 8 | 18 | 75% |
| Netherlands | 4 | 4 | 10 | 18 | 60% |
| Germany | 4 | 3 | 5 | 12 | 32.43% |
| Total | 133 | 133 | 154 | 420 | 45.5% average |
The Closing Ceremony
The flag bearers of all the nations formed a circle to mark the end of the 2020 Olympic Games, Tokyo and fired up the closing ceremony. These flag-bearers were also joined by the athletes as the closing festivities began. All the accomplishments and performances of the inspirational athletes were definitely motivational for people all over. One of the most controversial Olympics ever held came to an end with fireworks once again exploding in the Japanese sky, celebrating the athletes and, of course, sports.