Games open

The pandemic-delayed Olympic Games have finally begun. Being held in 2021 though, the 32nd edition of the multi-sport extravaganza is still officially named as Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. The opening ceremony in the Japanese capital city yesterday heralded the start of what has always lived up to its reputation of being the greatest show on Earth.

But with fans banned from attending, the inauguration was void of the traditional grandeur befitting the international sports gala. However, dance and music did serve to lift the sporting spirit, and flashlights and fireworks did ignite the National Stadium which would have had a capacity crowd had Tokyo not been under a state of emergency due to the raging coronavirus pandemic. The opening ceremony also featured performances that put on display the traditions, culture and charms of the host country, as is typically the case.

And in order to promote the spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play, more than 11,000 athletes from some 200 countries of the world have converged on Tokyo to participate in 339 events featuring 33 sports in 50 disciplines. This year’s theme ‘United by Emotion’ “expresses the hope that spectators, volunteers and athletes … as well as the billions watching on television and online across the globe, will come together and understand that there is more that unites than divides them”.

Pakistan has sent a 20-member squad including 10 athletes and equal number of officials – as against 62 athletes sent for Melbourne Games in 1956. Missing from the national squad is the hockey team which has won eight of Pakistan’s total 10 medals in the Olympics so far. The national hockey team, which failed to qualify for the Olympics for a second time in a row, had last appeared in the London Games 2012 where it finished a hopeless 7th. The tiny national contingent, in comparison with India’s 127 participants, is a reflection of the country’s downfall in major walks of life.