Let the Loneliest Games finally begin! Tokyo hosts Olympics

The pandemic Games are officially underway as athletes from 206 teams took part in the Opening Ceremony, highlighted by United States flag bearers Sue Bird and Eddy Alvarez leading their fellow Americans and Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka lighting the Olympic flame. Disputed, locked down and running a year late, the event is steeped in the political and medical baggage of a relentless pandemic whose presence haunts every Olympic corner. Even the crowd at Friday's event was limited to about 1,000 VIPs, such as First Lady Jill Biden (right), and hundreds more media members due to social distancing restrictions. The ceremony began with a single jogger on a treadmill, but built into a large-scale interpretive performance intended to 'convey the inner workings of the body and the heart,' according to organizers. There were, of course, the customary dance routines, in this case aimed at illustrating the massive undertaking host nations face leading up to the Games. Performers dressed as carpenters tap danced on e