In 2020, Japan will host a major international sporting event that is held once every four years. It will once again take place in the capital city of Japan —- Tokyo, making it the first ever Asian city to host the event two times, with the first one happening back in 1964.
Important 2020 Dates
The games will be held from July 24, 2020 to August 9, 2020.
Below are some key dates that you should mark on your calendars:
- Opening ceremony – This will take place on July 24 (Friday) from 08:00 pm to 11:00 pm at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo.
- Closing ceremony – This will take place on August 9 (Sunday) from 08:00 pm to 11:00 pm at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo.
- Preliminary games for most of the sports will begin on July 25 (Saturday), but preliminary games for softball and football will begin on July 22 (Wednesday).
- Medal games for some individual sports, such as archery, fencing, judo, taekwondo, and weightlifting, will begin on July 25 (Saturday).
- Medal games for some team sports, such as football and hockey, will begin on August 6 (Thursday).
- Medal games for major team sports, such as baseball, basketball, and volleyball, will begin on August 8 (Saturday).
CLICK HERE to view the complete Competition Schedule.
Different Sports
The games will feature a total of 33 different individual and team sports.
Some notable individual sports are:
- Athletics
- Aquatics
- Archery
- Badminton
- Boxing
- Canoe/kayaking
- Cycling
- Equestrian
- Fencing
- Golf
- Gymnastics
- Judo
- Rowing
- Table tennis
- Tennis
- Taekwondo
- Weightlifting
Some notable team sports are:
- Basketball
- Field hockey
- Football
- Volleyball
- Rugby
CLICK HERE to view complete list of sports.
Participating Countries In The Tokyo 2020 Olympics
The first modern Olympic games were held more than a century ago, back in 1896. Officially called the Games of the I Olympiad, it featured 14 countries, mostly European, and about a dozen events, including athletics, gymnastics, fencing, swimming, tennis, shooting, wrestling, and weightlifting.
For 2020, more than 200 countries in Europe, Asia and the Pacific, the Americas, and Africa will participate, including host country Japan, and Olympic medal powerhouses like:
| RANK | COUNTRY | # OF SUMMER OLYMPIC MEDALS WON FROM 1896 TO 2016 |
| 1 | USA | 2,520 |
| 2 | Russia | 1.865 |
| 3 | Germany | 1,681 |
| 4 | Great Britain | 847 |
| 5 | France | 713 |
| 6 | Italy | 577 |
| 7 | China | 543 |
| 8 | Australia | 497 |
| 9 | Sweden | 494 |
| 10 | Hungary | 491 |
Venues
The games and competitions will be held at 43 venues in and around Tokyo and other major Japanese cities. These venues are divided into two primary zones —- (1) the Heritage Zone, which was the site of the 1964 Olympics, and (2) the Tokyo Bay Zone, which is where the newly-constructed venues are located.
Below are the seven venues that make up the Heritage Zone:
| VENUE NAME | EVENTS |
| Olympic Stadium | Opening and closing ceremonies |
| Imperial Palace Gardens | Athletics |
| Nippon Budokan | Judo, karate |
| Musashinomori Park | Road cycling |
| Ryogoku Kokugikan | Boxing |
| Tokyo International Forum | Weightlifting |
| Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium | Table tennis |
Below are the 13 venues that make up the Tokyo Bay Zone:
| VENUE NAME | EVENTS |
| Aomi Urban Sports Venue | 3×3 basketball, sport climbing |
| Ariake Arena | Volleyball |
| Ariake Coliseum | Tennis |
| Ariake Gymnastics Centre | Gymnastics |
| Central Breakwater and Sea Forest Waterway | Equestrian, rowing |
| Kasai Rinkai Park | Canoeing |
| Odaiba Marine Park | Triathlon, aquatics |
| Oi Hockey Stadium | Field hockey |
| Olympic BMX Course | BMX cycling, skateboarding |
| Shiokaze Park | Beach volleyball, equestrian |
| Tokyo Aquatics Centre | Aquatics |
| Tokyo Tatsumi International Swimming Center | Water polo |
| Yumenoshima Park | Archery |
There are 12 more venues situated more than 5 miles away from the Olympic Village and so are not included in the two primary zones. Some notable ones are the Saitama Super Arena (basketball), Makuhari Messe (fencing, wrestling, taekwondo), Enoshima (sailing), Yokohoma Stadium (baseball, softball), Fukushima Azuma Baseball Stadium (baseball and softball opening matches), and Miyagi Stadium, Sapporo Dome, and Kashima Soccer Stadium for men’s and women’s football.
CLICK HERE for more information on the Game venues.
Ticket Sales
People from all over the world will travel to Tokyo to support their home teams and favorite players, so acquiring tickets to the different competitions will be a bit tricky, difficult, and expensive.
From May 9, 2019 to May 28, 2019, the official website had the lottery application period, and on June 20, 2019, the results were released.
If you were not able to join the lottery or were not picked to get tickets, you can try your luck again in a few months, as the first-come-first-served ticket sale period is scheduled to happen sometime in autumn, and the last-minute ticket sale period is scheduled for spring season 2020.
However, applying for tickets through the official website is only available for Japanese residents. For non-Japanese residents, it is best that you contact an Authorized Ticket Reseller in your home country.
CLICK HERE to read the Ticketing Guide.
Ticket prices range from around 3,000 yen to 110,000 yen, depending on the venue, seat type, stage of competition, and other factors.
For instance, if you are a big fan of men’s basketball, the cheapest ticket during the preliminaries costs 5,800 yen. If you want to watch a quarterfinal game, ticket prices range from 10,000 yen to 54,000 yen. For the semifinal and bronze medal stage, ticket prices range from 11,800 yen to 72,000 yen, and for the gold medal match, ticket prices range from 18,800 to 108,000 yen.
CLICK HERE the complete ticket price list.
