After a one-year pandemic delay, the Tokyo Olympics began with a scaled back but still celebratory opening ceremony themed "United by Emotion." Held amid tens of thousands of empty seats in Tokyo’s Olympic Stadium, only about 900 dignitaries and other officials attended the event because of COVID-19 precautions.
In Pictures: 2020 Olympics Opening Ceremony

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Fireworks illuminate over National Stadium during the opening ceremony of 2020 Tokyo Olympics, July 23, 2021, in Tokyo.

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A police officer is seen in the empty stands ahead of the opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, at the Olympic Stadium, in Tokyo, on July 23, 2021.

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Dancers perform during the opening ceremony in the Olympic Stadium at the 2020 Summer Olympics, July 23, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan.

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Dancers perform during the opening ceremony in the Olympic Stadium at the 2020 Summer Olympics, July 23, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan.