Tokyo 2020, all there is to know about the Olympics at the start
Tokyo 2020
From disciplines (including new entries) to athletes, from safety measures to channels covering the event: short guide to Games number 32, starting today 23 July
(Photo: Mike Egerton / PA Wire / PA Images / Ipa) With a year delay, the Games of the 32nd Olympiad finally get underway. Scheduled for 2020, they have been postponed by 12 months due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the first time in history. But now the time has come: today, Friday 23 July, at 1pm Italian time, the Tokyo 2020 opening ceremony will take place. From the dates to the disciplines, here is everything you need to know to follow the Olympics in Japan.The dates
We were saying, the Games of the 32nd Olympiad officially start on Friday 23 July with the opening ceremony, which takes place from 1pm to 4pm (Italian time) at the Tokyo National Stadium. To parade with the Olympic flag, together with other athletes from different countries, the blue volleyball player Paola Egonu was also chosen. To carry the Italian flag, however, are the cyclist Elia Viviani and the volleyball champion Jessica Rossi. In spite of the official starting date, some races (for which there are no medals) started to take place as early as 21 July, while the first competitions linked to the medal table start on Saturday 24 and end on Sunday 8 August. The closing ceremony is scheduled for the same day, at 1pm Italian time.The pandemic
A decidedly unwanted guest of the Olympics is the Covid-19 pandemic, which forced the organizing committee to postpone the Games for a year. It had never happened before: in 1916, 1940 and 1944 they were canceled due to wars, not postponed. Due to the maximum health alert, which has led many to wonder if Tokyo 2020 should be held, the competitions and ceremonies all take place without an audience present. Only competitions that are held in locations far from Tokyo can be followed live by spectators, with all the limits and attentions of the case. Athletes are continuously swabbed to avoid contagion in the Olympic Village bubble (however, some have already been registered).Athletes
There are 205 nations from all over the world present at the Olympics , to which must be added the team of refugee athletes. For Italy there are 384 athletes competing for 36 different disciplines. The genders in the blue team are almost in numerical parity, given that there are 197 men and 187 women. A transsexual athlete, the New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard, also participates for the first time in Tokyo 2020.The disciplines
(Photo: picture alliance / Sven Simon / Ipa) On the program in Tokyo 2020 there are 339 events, for a total of 33 sports and 50 disciplines (to understand: gymnastics is a sport, artistic, rhythmic and trampoline constitute three disciplines). Alongside the more traditional ones, from athletics to wrestling, from swimming to fencing, there are also six new activities making their debut: surfing, climbing, karate, skateboarding, freestyle bmx and 3-on-3 basketball. in 41 locations, for the most part concentrated in Tokyo.Where to see the Olympics
A detail to always keep in mind is that between Italy and Japan there are seven hours of difference for the time zone schedule and many races are held during our night. To follow all 339 Tokyo 2020 events on TV or in streaming, you need to subscribe to Discovery + or Eurosport, which cover the Games in their entirety. Also Dazn and Amazon Prime allow you to follow (always if subscribed) a good part of the races, while the free offer is entrusted to Rai, in particular to Raidue, which also broadcasts the initial ceremony of the pandemic Olympics.Sport - 4 hours ago
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