Concerns and controversies at the 2020 Summer Olympics

Parts of this article (those related to whether or not expected events occurred or concerns materialized) need to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (August 2021)

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2020 Summer Olympics
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A number of concerns and controversies arose leading up to the 2020 Summer Olympics, which took place in Tokyo, Japan. The games were postponed until July 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The IOC stated that their Japanese partners and the former prime minister Shinzo Abe "made it very clear" in 2020, "that Japan could not manage a postponement beyond next summer [2021] at the latest".^[1] Just weeks before the opening of the Tokyo Olympics, honorary patron Emperor Naruhito was said to be "extremely worried about the current status of coronavirus infections",^[2] and was "concerned that while there [were] voices of anxiety among the public, the holding (of the events) may lead to the expansion of infections".^[3]

There were allegations of bribery in the Japanese Olympic Committee's (JOC) bid for the games, of plagiarism in the initial design for the games' logo, and of illegal overwork of laborers on the part of dozens of companies involved in construction for the games. Notable safety concerns for athletes included radiation from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, water quality, and record heat levels. Political controversies included the use of maps showing disputed territories as part of Japan, and a refusal to ban the Rising Sun Flag at Olympic venues.