Olympic Games (Summer)

The Olympic Games is a large scale multi-sport competition, contested by over 200 nations. Inspired by the ancient Olympic Games, the first modern Olympics was held in Athens, Greece in 1896, with the most recent Games held in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil in 2016.

Sports contested at the next Games are:

  • Aquatics (Diving, Swimming, Artistic Swimming, Water Polo)
  • Archery
  • Athletics
  • Badminton
  • Baseball/Softball
  • Basketball (Basketball, 3×3 Basketball)
  • Boxing
  • Canoeing (Slalom, Sprint)
  • Cycling (BMX Freestyle, BMX Racing, Mountain Biking, Road Cycling, Track Cycling)
  • Equestrian (Dressage, Eventing, Jumping)
  • Fencing
  • Field Hockey
  • Football
  • Golf
  • Gymnastics (Artistic, Rhythmic, Trampoline)
  • Handball
  • Judo
  • Karate (Kata, Kumite)
  • Modern Pentathlon
  • Rowing
  • Rugby Sevens
  • Sailing
  • Shooting
  • Skateboarding
  • Sport Climbing
  • Surfing
  • Table Tennis
  • Taekwondo
  • Tennis
  • Triathlon
  • Volleyball (Volleyball, Beach Volleyball)
  • Weightlifting
  • Wrestling (Freestyle, Greco-Roman)

When is it?

The Olympics takes place every 4 years, with the 32nd edition originally scheduled from Friday 24th July to Sunday 9th August 2020. However the event was postponed by a year due to the coronavirus pandemic and will now take place between Friday 23rd July and Sunday 8th August 2021.


Where is it?

The 2020 Olympics is being hosted in Tokyo, Japan for the second time after previously being held in 1964, at the following venues:

Heritage Zone

  • Imperial Palace Garden (Capacity – 5,000) – Athletics (Marathon, Race Walking)
  • Musashinonomori Park – Road Cycling
  • Nippon Budokan (Capacity – 14,471) – Judo, Karate
  • Olympic Stadium (Capacity – 60,102) – Opening & Closing Ceremonies, Athletics, Football
  • Ryōgoku Kokugikan (Capacity – 11,098) – Boxing
  • Tokyo International Forum (Capacity – 5,012) – Weightlifting
  • Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium (Capacity – 10,000) – Table Tennis
  • Yoyogi National Gymnasium (Capacity – 13,291) – Handball

Tokyo Bay Zone

  • Aomi Urban Sports Venue (Capacity – 5,000) – 3×3 Basketball, Sport Climbing
  • Ariake Arena (Capacity – 15,000) – Volleyball
  • Ariake Coliseum (Capacity – 20,000) – Tennis
  • Central Breakwater (Capacity – 20,000) – Equestrian (Eventing), Rowing, Canoeing (Sprint)
  • Kasai Rinkai Park (Capacity – 8,000) – Canoeing (slalom)
  • Oi Seaside Park (Capacity – 15,000) – Field Hockey
  • Olympic Aquatics Centre (Capacity – 15,000) – Aquatics (Swimming, Diving, Synchronised Swimming)
  • Olympic BMX Course (Capacity – 6,000) – BMX Cycling, Skateboarding
  • Olympic Gymnastics Centre (Capacity – 12,000) – Gymnastics (Artistic, Rhythmic, Trampoline)
  • Odaiba Marine Park (Capacity – 5,000) – Triathlon, Aquatics (Marathon Swimming)
  • Shiokaze Park (Capacity – 12,000) – Beach Volleyball
  • Tokyo Tatsumi International Swimming Centre (Capacity – 3,635) – Water Polo
  • Yumenoshima Park (Capacity – 7,000) – Archery

Outlying Venues

  • Ajinomoto Stadium (Capcity – 49,970) – Football, Modern Pentathlon, Rugby Sevens
  • Baji Koen – Equestrian (Dressage, Jumping)
  • Camp Asaka – Shooting
  • Enoshima (Capacity – 10,000) – Sailing, Surfing
  • Fuji International Speedway – Road Cycling
  • Fukushima Azuma Baseball Stadium (Capacity – 30,000) – Baseball, Softball
  • Izu Mountain Bike Course – Mountain Biking
  • Izu Velodrome (Capacity – 5,000) – Track Cycling
  • Kasumigaseki Country Club (Capacity – 30,000) – Golf
  • Makuhari Messe (Capacity – 6,000) – Fencing, Taekwondo, Wrestling
  • Musashino Forest Sports Plaza (Capacity – 10,000) – Modern Pentathlon (Fencing), Badminton
  • Saitama Super Arena (Capacity – 22,000) – Basketball
  • Yokohama Stadium (Capacity – 30,000) – Baseball, Softball

Football Venues

  • International Stadium Yokohama, Yokohama (Capacity – 70,000)
  • Kashima Soccer Stadium, Ibaraki (Capacity – 42,000)
  • Miyagi Stadium, Sendai (Capacity – 48,000)
  • National Stadium, Tokyo (Capacity – 60,000)
  • Saitama Stadium, Saitama (Capacity – 62,000)
  • Sapporo Dome, Sapporo (Capacity – 42,000)
  • Tokyo Stadium (Capacity – 49,000)

Non-competition venues

  • Imperial Hotel, Tokyo – IOC
  • Harumi Futo – Olympic Village
  • Tokyo Big Sight – Media Press Centre, International Broadcast Centre

How do I get there?

Japan’s main airports are at Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya, serving many international destinations. Japan has one of the most extensive and efficient train networks, connecting many of the country’s key cities with the famous bullet train.

Thinking of going to Japan? Search & book your flights through Skyscanner here.


How do I get tickets?

Tickets will be on sale from Spring 2019. Residents of Japan will be able to apply for tickets through the official ticketing platform here, whilst international visitors will be able to purchase tickets through their National Olympic Committee.


Where and when is the next Olympics?

The 2024 Summer Olympics are to be held in Paris, France, with the 2028 edition to be hosted by Los Angeles, USA.


Further Information

Olympics Official Website: https://tokyo2020.org/

Last Updated on February 24, 2021 by Sports Tourist

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