OLYMPIC TIMELINE:

23 May 2012 — Istanbul, Madrid and Tokyo set as three finalists to host the 2020 Olympics.

7 September 2013 — The International Olympic Committee (IOC) formally awarded the hosting to Tokyo.

7 May 2014 — NBC agrees to pay $7.7 billion to broadcast the Games through 2032.

3 August 2016 — The IOC adds five sports to the Olympics; skateboarding, karate, surfing, sports climbing and baseball/softball.

28 February 2018 — The mascots for the Olympics and Paralympics were announced.

21 July 2018 — The names of the Olympic and Paralympic mascots were revealed.

7 August 2018 — The Tokyo 2020 Olympic committee announced the use of facial recognition to improve safety and make security lines more efficient.

24 July 2019 — The newly designed medals were presented.

4 December 2019 — High-level radiation spots were detected at a sports complex where the Olympic torch relay will begin on 26 March.

15 December 2019 — The stadium where the opening and closing ceremonies will be held were inaugurated.

10 January 2020 — Three page guidelines were handed out by IOC to warn athletes not to protest on the field, on the medal stand, in the Olympic village or during the opening and closing ceremonies.

12 March 2020 — The lighting of the Olympic torch takes place in Olympia, Greece.

24 March 2020 — Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the IOC agree to postpone the Olympics until 2021. 30 March 2020 — The IOC announces that the Olympics will be held from 23 July to 8 August in 2021.