Jose Sanchez
Research expert covering society, economy, & politics for Latin America
Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic games - statistics & facts
Following the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games were postponed by one year. The Olympics were held from July 23 to August 8, 2021, while the Paralympics were staged two weeks later from August 24 to September 5. This marked the first time in the era of modern Olympics that the Games had been postponed during peacetime, but the second time the Games could not be hosted by Tokyo as originally planned, the first time being in 1940. Before its hosting, large portions of the population were apprehensive regarding the staging of the Games, expressing concerns over an increased spread of the COVID-19 virus. At the time of the Games, most of the prefectures that hosted events, including Tokyo, were in the middle of a COVID-19-triggered state of emergency. The Games were held regardless, with the organizing committee deciding to host the Olympics as well as the Paralympics with almost no spectators.
