Controversy always seems to accompany the Summer Olympics — from the boycott in 1980 to the Zika scare in 2016. And of course, this year, well, the Games are in 2021 rather than 2020 — but the good news is they're set to begin on July 23 and that in itself is a gold-medal victory.
On July 8, Tokyo Olympics organizers announced that all events will take place without spectators. That means the Games will truly be a made-for-TV (and streaming) event. It's an Olympics for a new age.
The Summer Paralympic Games are scheduled to open Aug. 24 in Tokyo, about two weeks after the Summer Olympics conclude. While it’s ultimately likely both sets of Games will go on as planned, this much is clear: This will be an Olympiad unlike any other in modern history.
Meanwhile, we’ve been culling some of the more intriguing figures about this year’s Games, which are still being dubbed “Tokyo 2020.”
• 11,500: Estimated number of athletes from more than 200 nations who will compete in the Summer Olympic Games (The Guardian)
• 49: Estimated percentage of female athletes (Statista)
• 51: Estimated percentage of male athletes (Statista)
• 500: Estimated number of athletes who will represent the United States (NBCOlympics.com)
• 80: Percentage of athletes staying in the athletes’ village expected to be fully vaccinated by the Opening Ceremony (The Guardian)
• 15: Percentage of Japan’s eligible adults fully vaccinated, as of July 7 (ESPN.com)
• 47: Percent of eligible adults in the United States fully vaccinated, as of July 7 (ESPN.com)
• 79,000: Estimated number of Olympic officials, journalists and support staff expected to attend the Games (The Guardian)
• 399: Number of medals up for grabs (NBCOlympics.com)
• 41: Number of Olympic sports (NBCOlympics.com)
• 4: Number of sports making their Olympics debut in Tokyo — karate, skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing (NBCOlympics.com)
• 22: Number of Paralympic sports (Paralympic.org)
• 2: Number of sports making their Paralympics debut in Tokyo — badminton and taekwondo (Paralympic.org)
• 4,000: Estimated number of athletes who will compete in the Summer Paralympic Games (TheHill.com)
• 42: Number of competition venues, most of them located in the City of Tokyo (NBCOlympics.com)
• 68,000: Number of seats in Tokyo’s National Stadium, site of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, which will be void of spectators (NBCOlmypics.com)
• 0: Number of alcoholic beverages permitted to be sold or consumed at Olympic events (People.com)
• 16: Number of times NBC has televised the Summer or Winter Olympics — including this year (Forbes.com)
• 7,000: Number of hours of Olympic coverage NBCUniversal plans across two broadcast networks, six cable networks and several digital platforms — a broadcasting record (Forbes.com)
• 250: Number of hours of Olympic coverage scheduled on the flagship NBC network (Forbes.com)
• 1.62 billion: Revenue, in U.S. dollars, generated by the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Forbes.com)
• 75: Percentage of income the International Olympic Committee earns from TV rights (Associated Press)
• 4 billion: Potential income, in U.S. dollars, the Games could earn from a television-only event (Associated Press)
• 15.4 billion: Estimated cost, in U.S. dollars, to host the Tokyo Games, the costliest in history (Forbes.com)
• 6,000: Number of Tokyo doctors who have called for the cancellation of the Games (Statista)
• 80:Percentage of Japanese citizens who think the Games should not take place (The New York Times)
• 23 billion: Estimated economic impact loss, in U.S. dollars, for Japan because the Olympic and Paralympic Games will be held without fans (InsideTheGames.biz)
• 3: Number of times the Olympics were delayed and ultimately canceled during the 20th Century, due to World War I or World War II — in 1916, 1940 and 1944 (People.com)
• 3: Number of times Los Angeles will have hosted the Summer Olympics when it welcomes the 2028 Summer Games (Forbes.com)
• 7 billion: Estimate cost, in U.S. dollars, to host the 2028 Summer Olympics (StateScoop.com)
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