With less than 40 days left until the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in 2021, the anticipation is growing amongst fans as they await their favorite athletes to take on different sports in the arena.

Expected to have taken place in July of 2020, the Olympics had to be postponed by a year thanks to the unprecedented effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the wait is finally over, with plans underway to ensure Tokyo is prepared to host the games from July 23 to August 8, 2021.

As with any other world competition, fans are wondering what to expect from this global sporting event. As usual, it is promised that the event will deliver a sports-filled summer like no other, especially with the changes made in line with the pandemic protocols.

Here is everything you need to know about the 2020 summer Olympics taking place from July of 2021.

The host

Tokyo is the host for this year’s summer Olympics, more than 50 years since it first hosted the games in 1964. Different sporting events are expected to take place in various towns and cities, with some sports excepted to show the spectacular outdoors in Tokyo.

For instance, the Road Cycling competition will take place in the Mount Fiji foothills, while the surfing competition is expected to be held on the eastern coast of Japan. You can also expect men and women marathons and race walking events slated to be conducted in Sapporo, 500 miles to the North of Tokyo.

If you are a soccer fan, you will get to see all the games take place between six cities, with softball and baseball expected to be held in Yokohama and Fukushima.

Sports to expect

As it has been in the history of the Olympics, you can expect some old and new sports this year that make up 33 games to be included in this year’s Olympics.

Sporting events expected to debut in Tokyo include surfing, sport climbing, karate, and skateboarding. In addition, softball and baseball will make a comeback since 2008, when they were last played in the Beijing Olympics. This adds 18 new sporting events to accommodate the new sports with 474 more competing athletes.

On top of these debuts, you can enjoy the traditional crowd-pleasers like swimming, gymnastics, and running track, three of the most-watched sports in the Rio Games of 2016. You can also expect major games such as tennis, soccer, volleyball, and basketballs, as well as ping-pong canoeing and badminton.

Countries competing in the Tokyo Olympics