LET THE GAMES BEGIN (FINALLY!!!)

It was touch and go whether it would happen at all, but the 32nd Olympics is finally underway in Tokyo, a year late and largely behind closed doors. It’s as sprawling a jamboree as ever, with 33 sports and 339 medal events across 43 venues. Because Japan is eight hours ahead of us much of the action will be taking place between midnight and 3pm, but there will be a highlights show each evening. As the majority of events will be spectator-less the BBC is considering offering fake crowd noise. But organisers hope the quality of the competition will keep TV viewers on the edge of their seats, not least on Super Saturday next weekend when there are 21 medal events. Here are some things to look out for...