Tokyo 2020 Olympics LIVE: Opening Ceremony, Japan finally get Games underway with spectacular opening party – updates

LIMITED NUMBERS

There’s about 1,000 people inside the Olympic Stadium tonight, made up of delegates and high ranking officials.

There is, however, no members of the public inside the stadium to spectate the ceremony.

WE REMEMBER

There’s currently a remembrance taking place for those who have lost their lives throughout the Coronavirus pandemic.

As well as the lives lost during/at the Olympics.

The 11 Israeli athletes who lost their lives at the 1972 Olympic Games most notably.

RAISE THE FLAG

The Japanese flag was taken past what is a representation of Mount Fuji. It’s considered one of Japan’s three sacred mountains.

The flag is being raised and the national anthem is being sung.

126th MONARCH

The national flag of Japan is being brought out into the middle of the stadium as the emperor of Japan, Naruhito, takes his seat.

He was at the 1964 games in Tokyo, but was just four years old at the time!

POETIC

We’re being treated to a wonderful dance routine that is meant to resemble the journeys the athletes have been on over the past five years.

The routine is meant to demonstrate the emotions and feelings the athletes have felt, especially in the last year when the Games were cancelled up until now.

 HIGH PROFILE

President of France, Emmanuel Macron, is in Tokyo for the opening ceremony.

The Olympic Stadium is lit up!

YEARS IN THE MAKING

Tokyo won the bid to host the Olympic Games back in 2013, and is backed as one of the most prepared nations to host the event.

The Japanese capital has hosted the Games before, back in 1964.

FIRST LADY

The First Lady of the United States of America, Jill Biden, is at the Olympic Stadium tonight!

The ceremony is underway in Tokyo!

HISTORY IN THE MAKING

The Tokyo Olympic Games were delayed last year due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

But it’s finally here, and there’s nothing that’ll get in the way this time!

There is a lot of caution and special measures being taken to ensure the athletes are as safe as possible.

Team GB have already had a couple drop out after testing positive for Covid-19.

NO FANS

Unfortunately there will not be any fans inside the stadium to witness the opening ceremony.

SHOWTIME

Team GB have sent their biggest ever delegation to an oversea Olympic Games.

COUNTDOWN

We’re less than an hour away from the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics!

Team GB’s flagbearers will be Sailor Hannah Mills and rower Moe Sbihi.

GB’s medal haul back in 2016 was 67, and they’ll be hoping to top that this year.

Team GB’s women’s football team got off to a winning start the other day, kicking off the games with a 2-0 win over Chile!

TORCHED

Watch the moment the relay torch reached its final destination!

LET THE GAMES BEGIN

The opening ceremony will take place at the Olympic Stadium in Shinjuku City, Tokyo, writes JORDAN HALL.

The stadium was also used for the 1964 Olympic games held in Japan, but don’t worry, the stadium itself has had plenty of renovation to suit the needs of all safety measures.

The stadium can fit a capacity of 68,000 people, although only a minority of that will be filled due to all the social distancing implications present.

Crowds will be capped at either 50 per-cent or a maximum of 10,000 people for the entire Tokyo Games across all events – so expect to see only 10,000 at the opening ceremony.

TOO HOT TO HANDLE

Russian archer Svetland Gomboeva lost consciousness during a qualifying Olympic round after collapsing in the brutal Tokyo heat, writes JAKE LAMBOURNE.

The 23-year-old was checking her final scores before she fainted in the blistering 33 degrees Celsius sun, with medics and team-mates rushing to her aid.

Gomboeva, who qualified 45th of 64 archers in the women’s event on Friday, had to be taken out of the arena on a stretcher.

Ice bags were given to the female athlete in an attempt to cool her down, with Gomboeva quickly regaining consciousness.

She is said to now be recovering well, with the 2021 Archery World Cup recurve gold medallist to compete in the individual and team events later in the Games.

The Tokyo heatwave forced coaches and staff to huddle under trees for shade.

And Gomboeva’s coach Stanislav Popov declared that the unbearable temperature was too much for her.

In quotes published by the Russian Olympic Committee, he said: “We hope that she will be okay.

“It turns out that she couldn’t stand a whole day out in the heat.

“This is the first time I remember this happening. In Vladivostok, where we were training before this, the weather was similar. But humidity played a role here.”

EVENT GUIDE

Here’s the map of where all of Tokyo’s Olympic events will be taking place!

TIK TOK

We’re just THREE hours away from the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympic Games!

AL WORK & NO PLAY

The ‘world’s sexiest athlete’ Alica Schmidt is set to light up Tokyo 2020, writes JON BOON.

The German runner, 22, qualified for the 4x400m relay and will be hoping for a medal in Japan.

But Schmidt doesn’t need success at the Greatest Show on Earth to be a global star.

Her stunning looks have seen her attract 1.8 million followers on Instagram, thanks in part to a series of sexy snaps showcasing her glam life off the track.

And she attracted a whole new army of football fans after putting Borussia Dortmund through their paces after being hired as their fitness coach.

However, as much as she’s happy to pose for the cameras, she drew the line when Playboy asked her to appear nude.

ALL SMILES

Team GB is in high spirits ahead of today’s grand opening of the Tokyo Olympic Games.

At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Team GB picked up 67 medals, the most they have done at a single games in the last 30 years.

How many medals do you think Team GB will pick up?

TEAM GB FLAGBEARERS

 Sailor Hannah Mills and rower Moe Sbihi will be flagbearers for Team GB today.

Countries were allowed to nominate both a male and female carrier for the first time.

VENUE CHECK

The opening ceremony for the Tokyo Olympics gets underway at 12pm in the UK and 8pm in Tokyo.

The Olympic Stadium will host the grand opening, but only 30 British athletes are expected to be in attendance.

OPENING CEREMONY TIMINGS ⏰

The opening ceremony starts later TODAY.

The party starts at 12pm in the UK and 8pm in Tokyo.

It won’t technically be the first action of the Games though. Sporting events started two days before – including Team GB, with the women’s team opening up with a 2-0 win over Chile on Wednesday, July 21.

Unlike the last Olympics at Rio in 2016, where there was only a four hour time difference, Tokyo will instead be eight hours ahead.

In previous years, every athlete from each nations stems into the stadium when their country is announced – however with all the Covid-19 regulations in place, it remains to see exactly how many athletes from each nation will be present at the opening ceremony.

Either way, the event is scheduled to last three hours from 8pm to 11pm in Japan.

MUR OF THAT

Andy Murray gets his Tokyo Olympic campaign underway early tomorrow morning.

He will team up with Joe Salisbury, and the pair will hope to beat French duo Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert.

The Brit has already won two Olympic gold medals.

HOPE LIGHTS OUR WAY

The Olympic Torch Relay has come to an end with a ceremony at the Citizen’s Plaza of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government in Shinjuku City, Tokyo.

Both the Governor of Tokyo Koike Yuriko and the Mayor of Shinjuku-ku, Yoshizumi Kenichi were in attendance.

The final torchbearer was Nakamura Kankuro VI, an actor, and he placed the torch on the special cauldron.

TENNIS TIMES

Olympic tennis gets underway tomorrow with Novak Djokovic looking to win the Olympics for the first time.

And Andy Murray will also be getting his doubles campaign underway, before a tough test on Sunday against Felix Auger-Aliassime in the singles.

The matches start at 3am UK time, when you can watch Heather Watson take on Anna-Lena Friedsam of Germany.

Murray will be second on court with Joe Salisbury against Pierre-Hughes Herbert and Nicolas Mahut.

And Djokovic fans will be able to get a more decent night’s sleep as their man is last on court, with his match likely to start around 8am.

And remember, women’s and men’s tennis matches are best of THREE sets until the final.