Empty stadiums, sweltering athletes and a majestic Mount Fuji – the opening day wasn’t perfect but was still gripping to watch
Still mired in the well-documented protests and controversy, the first official day of the Covid-delayed Tokyo Olympics finally arrived. It was time to sit in front of the television and embrace your inner couch potato as, across the main Olympics channels (BBC, Eurosport, Discovery+), you watched people fitter than you could ever be achieve things you could never achieve.
The Tokyo Games are mainly devoid of spectators: for the opening ceremony, the 68,000-capacity stadium had 950 guests, with dignitaries including President Emmanuel Macron of France and the US first lady, Jill Biden. Viewers had to become acclimatised to vast, eerily empty stadiums full of new, shiny but unused flip seats, just as athletes had to get used to the sweltering temperatures and humidity.
