On July 19, 1980, the Summer Olympics opened in Moscow with 66 nations — led by the United States — boycotting because of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The Games weren’t televised in this country, replaced by an eerie two-week hole in the sports calendar.
So consider the 2021 Tokyo Games — officially, still the 2020 Tokyo Games — the strangest Olympics many of us will have ever seen. It is, of course, a matter of COVID-19. Already, multiple non-U.S. athletes and at least one volunteer have tested positive inside the Olympic Village. According to NPR, “more than 45 people affiliated with the Games” — most of them contractors — have tested positive this month.