The Olympic flame arrived in Tokyo on Friday with just two weeks until the Games open, as athletes and fans mourned a “heartbreaking” decision to bar spectators from almost all venues over the virus.
In a taste of what is to come for thousands of athletes who will compete at the pandemic-postponed Games, the public was kept away from the arrival of the flame and a welcoming ceremony was attended only by the media and officials.
As the final countdown to the July 23 opening ceremony begins, the mood is far from the usual festive Olympic spirit.
Tokyo will be under a virus state of emergency from Sunday until August 22, putting a further dampener on an already unusual Olympics.