Tokyo 2020 Olympics torch relay unveiling ceremony - In Pics

The Olympic flame arrived in Tokyo on July 09 but the public kept away at a low-key welcoming ceremony because of coronavirus fears, the day after a "heartbreaking" announcement that spectators would be banned from most Games events. On a rainy morning exactly two weeks before the opening ceremony of the biggest sporting event since the pandemic began, the flame was brought on stage in a lantern and handed to Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike.

The Olympic flame arrived in Tokyo on July 09 with just two weeks until the Games open, as athletes and fans mourned a

In a taste of what is to come for thousands of athletes who will compete at the pandemic-delayed Games, the public was kept away from the arrival of the flame and a welcoming ceremony was attended only by the media and officials. Credit: AFP Photo

As the final countdown to the July 23 opening ceremony begins, the mood is far from the usual festive Olympic spirit. Credit: Reuters Photo

The measures, which mostly limit alcohol sales, restaurant opening hours and crowd sizes, come as infections rise in the capital and with authorities concerned about the spread of the Delta variant. Credit: AFP Photo

In Tokyo, Governor Yuriko Koike received the Olympic flame in a lantern at a ceremony in an empty stadium. Credit: AFP Photo

Former Japanese paralympian, Aki Taguchi hands over the Olympic flame to Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike (L) during the unveiling ceremony of the Olympic flame at the Komazawa Olympic Park General Sports Ground on the first day of the torch relay in Tokyo. Credit: AFP Photo

The nationwide torch relay was supposed to stoke excitement about the Games, but almost half the legs have been taken off public roads or otherwise altered because of virus concerns. Credit: AFP Photo

Torchbearer Shinichi Okada disembarks from an official Tokyo 2020 bus before the lighting ceremony of the Olympic flame at Machida Shibahiro, on the first day of the torch relay in Tokyo. Credit: AFP Photo

Former Japanese professional tennis player Shuzo Matsuoka and former Japanese Paralympian Aki Taguchi arrive to attend the unveiling ceremony of the Olympic flame at the Komazawa Olympic Park General Sports Ground on the first day of the torch relay in Tokyo. Credit: AFP Photo

Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike fist bumps with former Japanese professional tennis player and torchbearer Shuzo Matsuoka as former Japanese Paralympian Aki Taguchi looks on during the unveiling ceremony of the Olympic flame at the Komazawa Olympic Park General Sports Ground in Tokyo. Credit: AFP Photo

A torchbearer holds an Olympic torch during the lighting ceremony of the Olympic flame at Machida Shibahiro in Tokyo. Credit: AFP Photo

Tokyo's torchbearers pose during a lighting ceremony in Tokyo. Credit: Reuters Photo