The opening ceremony of the Olympics takes place on Friday in Tokyo, a year after being postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Europe 1 presents 10 figures to know about this great summer event before enjoying each of the events.

For the first time in modern history, the Summer Olympics will take place in an odd year, in 2021. Blame it on the Covid-19 epidemic which forced the organizers of the Tokyo Olympics, initially planned in 2020, to postpone the competition for one year.

Despite the difficulties encountered in the organization and the absence of spectators for the majority of the events, the Olympics will enthrall the entire planet from July 21 until the closing ceremony on August 8.

To measure the extent of this sporting event, here are 10 figures to know about the next Olympic Games (July 23-August 8).

11,000 athletes

Japan welcomes nearly 11,000 athletes for these summer Olympics.

It is difficult to have an exact figure because since the athlete census, established at 11,090 in mid-June, some have withdrawn for personal reasons, due to an injury or a positive Covid-19 test.

The most represented country remains the United States, which has 618 athletes for these Games.

378 French athletes

Within the French delegation, they will be 378 to defend the tricolor colors and to try to bring back a medal from Japan.

This is a little less than in 2016 in Rio, where they were 399 French sportsmen aligned, the highest total in the history of France at the Olympics.

This year, the contingent will be represented by two flag bearers instead of one usually, the judokate Clarisse Agbegnenou and the gymnast Samir Ait Saïd.

Clarisse Agbegnenou #Judo


Samir Aït Saïd #Gymnastics ‍♂️


▶ ️ French flag bearers for the Tokyo 2020 #Olympic Games!



Sandrine Martinet #Judo


Stéphane Houdet #tennis


▶ ️ France flag bearers for the Tokyo 2020 #Paralympic Games! # UneSeuleEquipepic.twitter.com / nAL6FBVjjo

- FranceOlympique (@FranceOlympique) July 5, 2021

48.6% women

This is the first time that the IOC has asked participating nations to nominate two athletes, a woman and a man, as flag bearers.

The Olympic Committee thus highlights the parity which is gradually being established in the list of athletes entered.

Of the 11,000 registered athletes, female athletes represent 48.6%, the highest share in the history of the Olympic Games.

206 participating countries

There will be 206 delegations present at the Tokyo Olympics, that is to say the number of IOC member countries.

This is a slightly higher total than that of UN member countries (193).

North Korea has however announced that it does not want to send athletes due to "the global health crisis caused by Covid-19".

Russia, excluded from all sports competitions due to doping, only its "clean" athletes will be able to compete in the Olympic Games under a neutral banner, like the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang in 2018.

29th edition

The Tokyo Summer Olympics are the 29th in the modern history of the Games since their reintroduction in 1896. This edition is also called the XXXII (32nd) Olympiad, the four-year period between two Olympic Games.

Indeed, three editions could not be held because of the two world wars of the twentieth century, in 1916, 1940 and 1944.

339 events (and therefore gold medals)

This is the greatest total in the history of the Games.

In Tokyo, 339 events will take place to award as many gold, silver and bronze medals to the competitors.

A record figure explained by the addition of five new sports (surfing, skateboarding, rock climbing, karate, baseball and softball for women) bringing the total to 33 disciplines, and new events on the program such as three-against-basketball three or mixed relays in swimming and athletics.

3⃣3⃣9⃣.


This is the number of events that will take place at # Tokyo2020.

We told you you weren't going to be bored!



Which are you going to watch?

@jeuxolympiques I @ Tokyo2020https: //t.co/9CLLvG2S8G

- # Tokyo2020 in French (@ Tokyo2020fr) July 7, 2021

121 medals to defend for the United States

In 2016, the United States finished first in the final medal standings with 121 awards in Rio, 46 ​​of which were gold.

The Americans were ahead of Great Britain (67 medals including 27 gold) and China (70 medals including 26 gold).

France was in 7th place in the standings with a total of 42 medals, including 10 in gold, its second highest number behind Beijing 2008 (43).

43 sports venues

The Tokyo Olympics will not take place only in the Tokyo capital, but also across the country.

The organizers have selected 43 sites dedicated to hosting the events.

Among them, we obviously find the Olympic stadium in Tokyo, north of the capital, but also several football stadiums, sports halls or even Tsurigasaki beach, east of Tokyo for surfing competitions.

$ 15.5 billion

Japanese organizers have already spent nearly $ 15.5 billion on the Tokyo Olympics.

These Olympiads will become the most expensive summer Olympic event in history, ahead of London 2012 (12.2 billion euros).

What is more, the financial cost promises to be high because of the absence of spectators at the various sports venues.

7 hour time difference

For the French supporters who are hungry for Olympic events, it will be necessary to get up early.

France has in fact seven hours behind Japan.

At 10 a.m. in Tokyo, it will be 3 a.m. in Paris.

Concretely, the first tests will start at midnight French time and end in the afternoon, around 4 p.m.

The opening ceremony will take place at 1 p.m. in France.