The Olympics are so amazing because for two solid weeks other international affairs don’t matter and the entire world comes together to cheer on the greatest athletes on Earth, as they compete for national pride. For a fortnight international tensions can be put aside and the only questions that matter is, who runs the fastest? Who jumps the highest? And, who scored the most points? The Olympics is where great athletes become immortal icons, and entire lifetimes of hard work are rewarded on the grandest stage of all time. Every four years the entire world dons their national colors and takes the pubs to support the athletes of their homeland and in just a few short months the 2020 Summer Olympics are going to kick off.
Where and when
The 2020 Summer Olympics are taking place in Tokyo. This will be the second time Tokyo has played host to the Olympics, the last time being 56 years ago. The Japanese government is doing its best to renovate and update over 43 different venues around the city to make them ready for all the upcoming festivities. The games will run from July 24 through August 9, though preliminary events will take place as early as July 22. Tokyo was chosen because it already had much of the infrastructure required to make the Olympics work. They will spread the games around its bevy of venues throughout the massive megacity.
All of the sports
Including the five sports that weren’t a part of the 2016 games, there will be 33 different sports played at the 2020 Olympics. Some of the more popular games include basketball, swimming, baseball, track and field, soccer and gymnastics. Most of the more popular Olympic athletes wind up playing in those fields. Whether it be professional basketball players like James Harden and LeBron James, sprinters like Usain Bolt, or pro-ball players like Mike Trout, the most popular players populate the most popular sports. All put together, there are 339 events spread throughout the 33 individual sports. Now, that’s a heck of a lot of medals to give out.
Who’s playing?
Unfortunately, American favorite and world record holder for most Olympic medals, Michael Phelps will not be competing in the 2020 games. But many other fan favorites certainly will be. Simone Biles, Katie Ledecky, Sydney McLoughlin, and Serena Williams are just a few of the big-time names that will most likely be making the trip to Tokyo. Justin Gatlin is another name getting thrown around right now as an Olympic hopeful. The former fastest man in the world is putting up some of the best times right now and is looking good for a spot in the 100-meter dash. Rose Lavelle, Megan Rapinoe and Julie Ertz are also expected to make appearances in a sort of the last hurrah of the 2019 Women’s US World Cup Team.
What’s the difference
Some of the biggest differences between 2016 and 2020 will be the five sports being played that weren’t involved four years ago. Those sports include skateboarding, surfing, baseball/softball, climbing, and karate. Another huge change from the last summer Olympics will be the rules surrounding team gymnastics. Unlike in 2016, in 2020 Gymnastics teams will drop from five members to only 4, with two additional members only able to compete in individual events. That change is certain to change the entire dynamic of team gymnastics events in the upcoming summer games. It was a change that ruffled the feathers of a few individual national Olympic committees, but it will ultimately be what’s best for the overall presentation of the sport.
