Scandal-plagued Olympics finally open ------------------------------------------------- A subdued opening ceremony for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games has taken place, with around 1,000 spectators – mostly dignitaries, including fewer than 20 global leaders – in attendance --------------------------------------------------- Performer emotes loss of life to Covid-19 during Tokyo Olympic Games opening ceremony Happier days: Prime Minister of Japan Shinzō Abe doffs his Super Mario cap during Rio closing ceremony in 2016 --------------------------------------------------- Mar 24, 2020: As coronavirus pandemic spreads, Prime Minister Shinzō Abe and IOC President Thomas Bach postpone Olympics until 2021 --------------------------------------------------- Feb 12, 2021: Tokyo 2020 President Yoshiro Mori resigns after sexist remarks that women talk too much --------------------------------------------------- Mar 18: Creative head Hiroshi Sasaki quits after making derogatory “Olympig” comment about actress, Naomi Watanabe --------------------------------------------------- Jul 8: Spectators banned from venues due to Covid-19 --------------------------------------------------- Jul 19: Opening ceremony composer Keigo Oyamada steps down after old reports of bullying and abusive behaviour resurface --------------------------------------------------- Major sponsor of Games, Toyota, pulls all Olympic-themed TV advertising in Japan. Other sponsors assess reputational damage of remaining attached --------------------------------------------------- Jul 21: Public broad- caster NHK reports that strong advocate of Tokyo Olympics, former Prime Minister Shinzō Abe (above), will not be attending opening ceremony --------------------------------------------------- Jul 22: Opening ceremony director, Kentaro Kobayashi, fired over Holocaust joke he made during 1990s comedy routine --------------------------------------------------- Jul 23: Olympics- related cases of Covid-19 rise by 19, bringing total to 106 --------------------------------------------------- Sources: Reuters, FT, New York Times, Al Jazeera, CNBC Pictures: Getty Images © GRAPHIC NEWS