Hyderabad: When the Tokyo Olympics were delayed last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, fans still saw one shining light, that the situation would return to normal and the mega event will be held with the same charm and fireworks.
However one year later, the situation has not changed much, and Tokyo -- the venue for the Games is bearing a fresh wave of Covid-19 infections.
But as they say, the show must go on and it is indeed going on, as the Olympics is set to kick off.
President Thomas Bach has already termed the event as "Games of Hope" and even though, a major part of the population in Japan is against holding the Olympics, the IOC is hoping to win over the people by providing a sporting spectacle.
Etv Bharat has made a list of everything that you need to know about Tokyo Olympics and Indian representation.
Q. When will the 2020 Tokyo Olympics start?
A. The 2020 Summer Olympics will begin on July 23 and will go on until August 8. The opening ceremony is on July 23 and the closing is on August 8. Some events -- including Softball, Archery, -- will take place before the opening ceremony (zero day).
Q. When is Tokyo Olympics 2020 opening ceremony?
A. Tokyo Olympics 2020 opening ceremony is on July 23 (Friday) at the Japan National Stadium.
Q. How many countries are participating?
A. 206 countries
Q. How many athletes are competing in the Games?
A. 11,091 athletes will play in 41 different sporting categories.
Q. What are the list of sporting events that will take place in Summer Games?
A. Over 30 sporting events from various categories will be organised. The list are as follows: aquatics (49), archery (5), athletics (48), badminton (5), baseball/softball (2), basketball (4), boxing (13), canoeing (16), cycling (22), equestrian (6), fencing (12), field hockey (2), football (2), golf (2), gymnastics (18), handball (2), judo (15), karate (8), pentathlon (2), rowing (14), rugby (2), sailing (10), shooting (15), skateboarding (4), sport climbing (2), surfing (2), table tennis (5), taekwondo (8), tennis (5), triathlon (3), volleyball (4), weightlifting (14) and wrestling (18).
Q. How is Indian contingent shaping up?
A. India has sent its highest number of athletes to the Games -- 127 -- and it is fair to say that the contingent is expected to win medals in double digits this time around.
Ever since its inception, India has managed to win just 28 medals at the showpiece event, and if the country indeed manages to win medals in double digits in a single edition, then it would be a big reason to celebrate.
The Indian contingent comprises a perfect mixture of youth and experienced guard. The shooting team comprising of 15 members is expected to do the major damage and it is interesting to see how the youngsters in the line-up perform under high pressure.
The boxing team comprising of Mary Kom and Amit Panghal is also expected to shine bright in the Games and if there is one sport apart from shooting, one can expect medals in, it has to be boxing.
Talking about wrestling, tennis, table tennis, golf, and swimming, every sport has an Indian entrant and for the first time, the country has sent participants in most of the sports. Hockey which used to be India's acing ground in the Olympics, has seen a dry spell in terms of medals since 1980 and for the first time in the last 20 years, the Indian side enters the Games with real promise.
Both Manpreet Singh and Rani Rampal have led their team nicely over the course of the last two years, and it would be nice to see them transitioning it into a medal at the Games.
Q. Who will be India's flag-bearers at the opening ceremony?
A. Boxing great MC Mary Kom and Indian hockey team skipper Manpreet Singh will be the flag-bearers at Japan National Stadium.
Q. How many players from Indian contingent will attend the opening ceremony?
A. 19 players will be seen at the ceremony. Indian paddlers A Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra have decided against attending the Olympics opening ceremony as they open their mixed doubles campaign the following day.
Tennis player Ankita Raina has replaced the table tennis stars.
Amit, Ashish Kumar, Mary Kom are among the eight boxers who will be present at the function. Six officials will accompany them.
Archers, shooters, shuttlers, and hockey players (except Manpreet) among others from the Indian contingent will not be attending the Tokyo 2020 Olympics opening ceremony.
Notably, all those who have been asked to skip the opening ceremony have their respective events the following day. In the ceremony, India is at serial number 21 in the march past. The sequence of march past is as per the Japanese alphabet and only six officials can participate from each participating nation.
Q. How many attendees will be present at the opening ceremony?
A. About 950 people, including officials and reporters, will be allowed to watch the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics in the main stadium. Hidemasa Nakamura, chief of Tokyo 2020 main operation centre, told a press briefing that apart from the above-mentioned group, the rest allowed into the stadium are performers and athletes participating in the event.
Q. Where can you watch the live telecast?
A. The events will be broadcasted live on Sony Ten in India.
Q. Where will the next Summer Olympics held?
A. The next Summer Olympics 2024 will held in Paris.
