Olympics 2021: When do the Tokyo Games start? Everything you need to know
Watch: Tokyo 2020 – what you need to know ahead of the Olympics
The Olympic Games are back this year and will get underway in Tokyo later this month.
Originally due to be held in 2020, the event was postponed amid the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, which brought plans for large gatherings and events to a standstill.
Despite the break to the traditional four-year Olympic cycle, you may still see the Games being referred to as Tokyo 2020.
There will be 33 competitions and 339 events across 42 venues.
As the world gears up for one of the biggest sporting events on the planet, here's what you need to know.
When do the Olympic Games start?
The opening ceremony is due to take place on Friday 23 July. However, some events will be held before then:
Wednesday 21 July: baseball/softball, women's football
Thursday 22 July: baseball/softball, men's football
Archery and rowing events will also be held on the day of the opening ceremony.
Can I get tickets to the Olympics?
Unfortunately no overseas spectators will be allowed to watch the Games in person, due to COVID restrictions.
It certainly will feel different not hearing the crowds burst into thunderous applause at the twists and tumbles of the gymnasts and the lightning speed of the athletes across track and field.
Which new sports are being added to the Olympics?
There are five new sports joining the Olympic programme this year: baseball/softball, skateboarding, surfing, sport climbing and karate.
How do I watch the Olympics?
You can watch the Games on BBC and Eurosport.
Where can I find the Olympic schedule?
The full schedule for the Olympic Games is available here on the Olympics website.
When do the Olympic Games finish?
The closing ceremony will be on Sunday 8 August with a few other sporting events happening that day as well, such as athletics and rhythmic gymnastics.
The big names in Team GB to look out for:
Andy Murray
At 34 years of age, Murray is the only tennis player in history to win the gold medal in the men's singles in consecutive Olympics – at London 2012 and Rio 2016.
The three-time Grand Slam champion was knocked out of the Wimbledon Championships this year. Will he strike gold once again at Tokyo 2020?
Dina Asher-Smith
Dina Asher-Smith is currently the 200m reigning champion with a time of 22.06 seconds after her triumph at the Diamond League in June.
She was also victorious at the British Athletics Championships, clocking 10.97 seconds in the 100m.
Asher-Smith is ready for Tokyo and will be in the 100m and 200m sprints.
Tom Daley
We remember the diver winning bronze in London 2012 at the age of 18, and taking home another bronze medal in synchronised diving with diving partner Dan Goodfellow in Rio 2016.
Daley, now 27, is returning for his third Olympic Games.
Laura and Jason Kenny
These two make a highly successful Olympic couple.
Laura Trott (as she was known before she married) became the first woman in British history to win four gold medals at the Games.
Her husband Jason Kenny has won six gold medals and a silver medal for the team.
They are both returning this year as part of a squad of 26 cyclists for Team GB.
Helen Glover
Glover won Britain's first gold medal for London 2012 in the women's paired rowing with Heather Stanning, and she will be back with Polly Swann, a silver medalist from Rio 2016.
She will be the first mother to compete in the GB rowing team.
Will Mo Farah be competing in the Olympics?
Unfortunately Sir Mo Farah will not be defending his 10,000m title in Tokyo.
The decorated long-distance runner achieved a "double-double" – winning gold for both the 5,000m and 10,000m races in London 2012 and Rio 2016, but was 19 seconds out of the required time at the British Athletics Championships, finishing at 27 minutes and 47 seconds when he needed 27 minutes and 28 seconds or less to book his Tokyo spot.
When did the Olympic Games begin?
Scholars have traditionally traced the Olympics back to 776 BC, over 2,700 years ago. They were traditionally a religious festival as well as a sporting event, held in honour of Zeus, king of the gods. These ancient Olympics seem to have ended in the fourth century AD.
The modern Olympic Games were first held in Athens, Greece, in 1896.
What sports were originally played at the Olympics?
Some of the first sports competitions at the Games were running, discus, javelin, wrestling, the long jump and horse-racing. Nowadays they include many other sports, including gymnastics, surfing and synchronised swimming.
Why are the Olympics held every four years?
The quadrennial cycles are thanks to the tradition of holding the competitions in Olympia, south west-Greece, and counting dates in four-year "Olympiads" rather than years.
Why are there five Olympic rings?
The rings represent each of the continents Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania, based on a design first created by Pierre de Coubertin in 1913.
According to the International Olympic Committee, the interlocking symbol “expresses the activity of the Olympic Movement and represents the union of the five continents and the meeting of athletes from throughout the world at the Olympic Games.”