2020 Summer Olympics — games of the XXXII Olympiad, in Tokyo, Japan, held in 2021
The first Olympic Games postponed due to a pandemic, held in 2021 without spectators at a record cost exceeding $20 billion.
Key Facts
- Dates held
- July 23 – August 8, 2021
- Total expenditure
- Over $20 billion USD
- US gold medals
- 39 medals
- Japan gold medals (record)
- 27 (national record) medals
- New debut sports
- Skateboarding, surfing, sport climbing, karate
- First-time gold nations
- Bermuda, Philippines, Qatar
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Tokyo was awarded the 2020 Summer Olympics in 2013, with games originally scheduled for July–August 2020. The global COVID-19 pandemic forced the Japanese government and the IOC to announce an unprecedented postponement on March 24, 2020, rescheduling the Games by one year while retaining the Tokyo 2020 brand name.
The Games of the XXXII Olympiad were held in Tokyo, Japan from July 23 to August 8, 2021, featuring 33 sports including five new additions—baseball/softball, karate, sport climbing, surfing, and skateboarding. Events took place almost entirely without public spectators due to a state of emergency in the Greater Tokyo Area, making these the only Olympics held without official audiences.
The United States led the medal table with 39 gold medals, while host Japan set a national record with 27 golds. The postponement and pandemic-related measures made these the most expensive Olympic Games in history. Bermuda, the Philippines, and Qatar claimed their first-ever Olympic gold medals, and three nations won their first-ever Olympic medals of any kind.
Result
at Tokyo, Japan (multiple venues)