The Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games

The 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo were always going to be different. Putting aside the fact that they were actually held in 2021, the restrictions of Covid-19 health measure placed a massive shadow over all of the usual excitement. With no spectators allowed, strict quarantine procedures to observe and more lateral flow tests than you can shake a saliva-covered stick at, my fifth Olympics was guaranteed to be one to remember.

It was already proving to be unique before I’d even left the country.

On arrival, the hard quarantine began, with four days in my hotel room. A goody bag from the Getty Images team on the ground in every photographer’s room proved a great distraction with tension bands to exercise, Japanese snacks to enjoy and even a bottle of sake.

Before we were released from our rooms, meetings and socials were held via videoconferencing between rooms, in a bid to try to keep any loneliness at bay.

By the time my hard quarantine was over and I’d entered the next softer stages, I was allowed to finally visit the venues and start taking pictures.

For the Opening Ceremony, I was placed in the VIP section, hanging out with the dignitaries and tiny selection of representatives of the world leader gang who had chosen to come. The best part of this was that the whole show was designed to be seen from my position, with the drones proving to be the winner of the evening.

Out and about at last, I thought I’d start where I left off with AFP in 2016, at the beach volleyball.

My brief in Tokyo was to shoot the news angle. At previous games, this would cover things such as fan interactions, venue features and doping scandals. In Tokyo, the big news was Covid-19 and how the Olympics was taking place, despite proving hugely unpopular in the country. With that in mind, anything connected to that angle became priority #1.

The other elements of my assignment were to prove a little trickier. News generally requires people and they were in short supply.

It was such a shame to see people achieve their lifelong dream in front of thousands of empty seats. Aside from the athletes, you have to admire the half-time cheerleading groups who came out to perform and entertain the silent venues.

The lack of spectator noise left a gap and, as the old saying goes, nature abhors a vacuum. Filling the air, day and night, was the deafening chirp of cicadas. One afternoon, I decided to hunt some out which didn’t take long at all. For people like me who’d never seen one before, they’re like a massive moth that blasts out a piercing sound. En masse, it’s a constant wall of sound that filled the whole city. It should also be noted that when you get too close and they fly at you, the first few times, you almost jump as high yourself.

Back inside the bubble, the lack of news angles soon led to me shooting more for the sports team, with a nightly browse of the available passes for the following day creating a truly eclectic list of sports and disciplines to shoot.

Throughout the daily dash between venues, the oppressive heat and humidity continued with shorts and a sun hat being the wardrobe of choice. As the world faces a climate crisis, outdoor air conditioning units surely can’t be a good idea.

The days ticked past and I started to get my eye in with each sport although I generally only had a day at each before moving onto the next.

As with every Games, the rings end up being everything. Unless those five little circles are visible, it could be anywhere so it’s very hard to not become absolutely obsessed with catching those little blighters.

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics were soon reaching their conclusion and the medals started to arrive thick and fast.

Sadly, not everyone’s a winner.

With the options of sports to cover beginning to dry up, I had a little more free time so made the pilgrimage to the Nikon Museum to savour seeing some absolute gems. These rangefinder prototypes are just amazing. Can I have a digital version please?