The 2020 Summer Olympics are being held this year in Tokyo, but athletes and attendees will have to face strict protocols in order to keep the Olympics fun and COVID-safe. 

The 2020 Summer Olympics, held in Tokyo, were supposed to start July 24, 2020, but were unfortunately postponed due to complications of the Corona Virus. They have now been rescheduled to take place starting, July 23, 2021, and ending August 8, 2021. Even though the games are being held this year in 2021, they will still be called the 2020 Summer Olympics as they were supposed to be held in that year. 

Japan is the host city this year, and many of the events will take place in Tokyo and Osaka. Japanese officials were hesitant last year due to their high covid rates, and had multiple states of emergency. 

The Washington Post reported that Olympic organizers publicly remained optimistic, but one high-ranking official with Japan’s ruling party said: “I want the Games to succeed, but to do so there are a lot of issues that need to be resolved. If it seems impossible, it needs to be stopped.”

Originally, it seemed that citizens in Japan felt that the Olympics should not happen due to the virus because there was no way it could be done safely. A news poll in January revealed that 81 percent of participants thought that the Olympics should not be held during the pandemic and only 13 percent thought that it should. Another poll from April found that 39 percent of people thought the games should be canceled, 33 percent thought it should be postponed longer, and 25 percent wanted the games to go on as scheduled. 

However, Japanese officials are excited and support the games. According to IOC, “In a call on Tuesday 24 March 2020, based on information provided by the WHO at the time, IOC President Thomas Bach and Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzō concluded that the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 would be held in their complete form and not later than summer 2021. The Prime Minister reiterated that the government of Japan stands ready to fulfill its responsibility for hosting these successful Games.”

Many protocols and procedures have been put into place in order to keep everyone attending the Olympics safe. The goal is to make it look and feel like the Olympics everyone has always known on screen. However, behind the camera, it will look a little different. Athletes are all receiving “playbooks” which guide all participants in the olympics through all protocols and potential situations that may take place. Athletes will not be staying in the Olympic Village this year, and are unable to visit non – Olympic sites to limit exposure. All athletes will also be tested daily and will have to share daily health updates. Athletes will also be expected to wear masks when they are not playing, and to follow social distancing.

Even though it is not the Olympics they had planned, the athletes are extremely excited for the Olympics and are training hard to live out their dream. Caroline Marks, USA team surfer, stated, “My goal is to better my surfing every day and be the most prepared for any conditions that get thrown at me so I can be my best on competition day. The opening ceremony is something I’ve always dreamed of being a part of,” she explained. “Competing and representing my country is going to be incredible! Surfing is really an individual sport so to have a team behind me is going to be a really fun experience. I’m excited for it all.”

This is not the 2020 Olympics the people imagined it would be, but athletes and the IOC are working extremely hard to make the Olympics as exciting and fun as it always is.