The pandemic-delayed Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 officially get underway Friday with a largely spectator-free opening ceremony.
Posted Jul 23, 2021, 05:54AM EDT
The pandemic-delayed Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 officially get underway Friday with a largely spectator-free opening ceremony.
The stands at Tokyo’s Olympic Stadium will be empty save for a handful of officials, guests and members of the media as the festivities begin at 8 p.m. local time (7 a.m. ET).
Even the number of athletes participating is likely to be smaller than most years, due to strict COVID-19 protocols at the Olympic Village.
The Canadian Olympic Committee said Thursday that only a small contingent of 30 to 40 athletes — roughly a tenth of the total delegation — will take part.
The opening ceremony was rocked by an 11th-hour scandal on Thursday, when the director was fired over a Holocaust joke he made during a comedy show in 1998.
Earlier this week, a composer whose music is expected to be used at the ceremony was forced to resign because of past bullying of his classmates.
