In an opening ceremony marked by simplicity, one tradition held on Friday as athletes paraded into the Olympic stadium by national groups, waving but with smiles hidden behind masks, and most having both male and female flagbearers for the first time.

The Tokyo Games like no other opened with fireworks illuminating an almost empty National Stadium and a moment of silence to honour those lost to Covid-19, with a nod to Japanese tradition represented by wooden Olympic rings linked to the 1964 Games.

Postponed for a year, organisers were forced to take the unprecedented step of holding the Olympics without fans as the novel coronavirus is on the rise...