No fans, no families, no fun? Ready or not, here come the Tokyo Olympics A year after the original start date, the Summer Games will begin with Tokyo under a COVID-19 state of emergency and without many of the traditions athletes love. July 17, 2021 — 8:21pm At long last, the Tokyo Olympics are set to begin this week. Athletes who waited an extra year to get to the Summer Games can finally enjoy all the traditions that make the Olympics special: marching elbow-to-elbow in the Opening Ceremony, sharing meals in the village dining hall, shaking their rivals' hands in a show of global unity.