TOKYO — They’ll light the Olympic torch here Friday at the Opening Ceremony of the Summer Olympics.
Even though COVID-19 restrictions will cause it to take place at a scaled-down event inside a mostly empty stadium, the moment will likely serve as a moment of pride and excitement both here and around the globe.
The journey of the torch — from Greece to the Opening Ceremony, with stops around the host nation in between — is one of the most popular Olympic traditions.
Its creation, however, is nothing to celebrate.
The idea was hatched by an aide to Adolf Hitler in the run-up to the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin.