With an unexpected additional year of preparation under their belts, more than 11,300 athletes from 207 countries will compete over the next couple of weeks, all vying to get their hands on the medal they’ve worked so long for.
When the Games were postponed in March 2020, organizers says the Olympic flame “could become the light at the end of the tunnel”. With the Covid-19 pandemic still raging worldwide, that metaphorical tunnel is still being traversed, but today’s opening ceremony offers a glimmer of that light.
International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach says it will be a moment of joy and relief when entering the stadium, a moment of joy in particular for the athletes because he knows how much they are longing for this moment. Then they can finally be there and enjoy the moment under very special circumstances.
