The Olympics may be going ahead, but much of the celebration and connection that normally makes hosting the games so memorable is being stripped away as almost 50 cities have lost their role as a host or training camp base.
More than 70% of those were canceled by visiting delegations fearful of COVID-19 risks and restrictions amid Japan's poor vaccination numbers, shrinking the games into a Tokyo bubble.
The biggest of these was the United States' track and field team — with more than 100 athletes who had been set to complete their preparations in Chiba Prefecture — which canceled its camp in early May and advised athletes to fine-tune at home.