Explained: Why Tokyo Olympics will be like no other amid Covid-19

When the coronavirus pandemic forced Tokyo last year to delay the Summer Olympics and Para­lympics to July 2021, organisers kept the Tokyo 2020 name, saying they wanted the event to be seen as a “light at the end of the tunnel.” By keeping the name, the IOC also ensured that logos, packaging, t-shirts, merchandise and broadcast chyrons remain the same — a cost-saving move for sponsors and partners. Covid-19 is still spreading but the games appear to be going ahead, in what would be the biggest world event of the pandemic era. But they are almost certain to look like no other Olympics, with a bar on spectators from abroad and uncertainty as to whether even fans in Japan will