All You Need to Know About the Tokyo 2021 Summer Olympics

Did you know that the Tokyo 2020 Olympics have been postponed, and the new dates are out already? The games will start on July 23rd, 2021, and end on August 8th, 2021, exactly one year later, in Tokyo, Japan’s capital city. The Olympics happening here is an excellent way of revealing the best of Tokyo and the Japanese community at large. The changes came about because of the coronavirus pandemic, but the Olympics will indeed happen this time. Opening ceremonies will happen on July 24th, 2021, while the closing ceremonies will be on August 8th, 2021.
This article will reveal all about this upcoming event, and all your burning questions will be answered. So, if you’re seeking answers to the why’s, when, what, and where’s questions going around about the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, then this is your correct spot.

• The Venues
The 2021 Olympics games will happen in forty different venues all over the country, but most of them in Tokyo, including the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, Olympic Stadium, and Yoyogi National Stadium. There is a new national stadium in Tokyo, by the way, and in case you’re wondering where it is, then here you go. It’s located in the heritage zone, precisely where the old one was.

• All About the Olympics Tickets
Perhaps you’re among those who purchased their tickets earlier before the postponement of this event, and you’ve been wondering how the new dates will affect the already purchased tickets. Well, you don’t have to bother yourself with that anymore because those tickets are still valid, and the officials will honor them in 2021. But in case there are significant changes, like the venue of an event you have a ticket to is moved, and you can’t attend it anymore, you can claim and get a refund.

The tickets are still going around in Japan for those who want to purchase them. Also, please note that if you’re not in Japan, you can only get your ticket from the authorized resellers in your country to be honored by the Olympics’ officials. For instance, if you reside in the US, then your authorized Olympics ticket reseller is CoSport. Furthermore, as the dates get nearer, if you’re outside Japan, you’ll soon be able to purchase your tickets from the official 2021 Tokyo Olympics ticket website. This website was closed following the postponement of these games.
What if you’re in Tokyo, Japan, without any ticket, but you don’t want to miss out on the games? In this case, look out for the eleven different live sites which may pop out throughout the city. They’ll feature big screens making it possible for you to enjoy these Olympics still. And since it’s expected that several people will gather around the big screens watching, it will create the same stadium or arena atmosphere. Besides, you can still watch and enjoy these games from home since the NBC broadcast will bring live coverage for all the games.

• All the sports in the 2021 Japan Olympics
There are new sports that will be played in the 2021 Olympics for the first time. These include surfing, skateboarding, baseball, karate, softball, and sport climbing. Additionally, there will be fifteen new directions, so there can be more women in Olympics for gender equity. These include the mixed 4by100m swimming event, mixed archery, the mixed 4by400m relays, 3by3 both men’s and women’s basketball, 1500m women’s race, etc.
Other than the above games, other games that will be played at this global event are track, swimming, and gymnastics. These were also played in the Rio 2016 Olympics. And the major games that one can never miss out on in such an event include volleyball, soccer, basketball, and tennis, without forgetting the minor games such as badminton, ping-pong, and canoeing. It’s going to be an exciting event, something worth your time and money.

• Countries playing in the 2021 Olympics
The IOC-International Olympic Committee says that there will be 205 countries participating in the 2021 Japan Olympics. But, Russia was banned from participating in this event by WADA, the World’s Anti-Doping Agency, though they appealed. The ruling might come in late spring after this event is closed. If the ruling favors them, then we might see Russia in the Beijing winter games in 2022.

• The best hotels to stay in Tokyo for the 2021 Olympics
Truthfully, this is the most challenging task ahead of the 2021 Olympics. Most hotels in Tokyo and its surrounding areas are fully booked, and the remaining few are going for high rates. Booking hotels now is just challenging and complicated. Many rooms are on hold for the Tokyo Olympics officials, while most tour operators reserve others. Most hotel owners advise that you contact them directly to know if there are rooms available instead of booking online. For instance, the Shangri hotel still has rooms available, but you cannot see them online. As the dates get nearer, however, most rooms are being released, mainly to tour operators as we mentioned earlier. Like the four seasons, other hotels in Tokyo are expected to open in July, so you can still book a reservation online before all the rooms get fully booked.

You don’t have to depend entirely on the hotels in Tokyo. Spread your wings and look beyond it. Remember, Japan has an excellent rail network that you can entirely rely on. This means that you can still arrive on time for the games in Tokyo, traveling by train. Like most Japanese residents who work in Tokyo stay far away from the city, but they always arrive comfortably in the city each morning and even get back to their homes in the evening via these trains. This is not going to change during this Olympics event. So, no matter where you stay, you can still arrive on time to watch your favorite games. This setup also comes with many benefits, including living at friendly hotels at a more affordable price and experiencing different parts of Japan. For instance, it will only take you twenty-five minutes to reach Tokyo riding on a train if you stay in Yokohama. Remember, Yokohama town is also a host to many games in this 2021 Olympics.

Finally, we can all wait and see how the much-anticipated event unfolds. Remember all the WHO guidelines on coronavirus will be followed throughout this event. Stay safe from wherever you’ll be watching from.