TOKYO — A most unusual Olympics ended with a fitting closing ceremony: the usual speeches, performances, parades and tributes played in front of tens of thousands of empty seats. The athletes performed, often at the top of their games, and records and hearts were broken. Save the masks on the participants, the closing ceremony mostly avoided talking about the coronavirus. But for the most part, the familiar elements played out as if nothing was different. It also speculated that maybe, just maybe, there will soon be a Games that will be about running and jumping rather than quarantining and virus testing.

Source: International New York Times August 08, 2021 09:36 UTC