With the COVID-19 taking the world hostage back in March of 2020, there was one major sporting event that took a major hit once the pandemic began to surge. 

This was obviously the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. 

However, the games have been rescheduled for this upcoming summer for all the nations around the world to compete once again. 

While the games are back, they will seem much different than games we have seen in the past. 

Firstly, the signage around the venues will keep the Tokyo 2020 aesthetic for monetary reasons. While this is not a huge deal in the grand scheme of the Olympics it will certainly be quite odd for viewers at home to see. 

The second major shift comes in the Olympic village. Unlike most other Olympics, the competitors will not be allowed to stay in the village before or after the games have ended. The athletes will also not be allowed to venture out into the public like normal unless the venue thy are going to has been previously approved by the Olympic Committee. The athletes competing will also be held under constant coronavirus testing similar but more strenuous than what most athletes are currently dealing with here in the United States. 

The final and potentially most disappointing part of the entire situation is the toning down of extra events such as the opening ceremony. While not much is known as of now on just how much they will cut back, I doubt it will be anything close to what we normally see out of host countries. 

The exciting additions to the Olympics are still set to be held as they have now added five new events in surfing, sport climbing, skateboarding, karate, baseball and softball. 

Amongst the new sports, I am most excited to see the passion around surfing and baseball. My early predictions for surfing gold would land to the United States or Australia. While in baseball I am excited to see how well Japan competes with the United States and other western hemisphere nations. 

As far as the games overall, I expect the winner to either be the United States or China as they are the most prominent Summer Games competitors. However, I expect an above average showing from the host country in the upcoming games. 

I, for one, cannot wait for the return of the Olympics, but I am concerned that the games will not quite feel the same due to the coronavirus. 

However, I feel like this has the potential to be an inspirational event for people around the world to rally behind as we head into the one-and-a-half-year mark battling the same pandemic that shut the games down last year.