Jan 16, 2020: The first coronavirus case in Japan is reported.
Feb 23: The first hint of the virus impacting sports comes as four matches in Italy's Serie A are suspended due to Covid-19 spreading in northern Italy.
Feb 26: Dick Pound, a senior member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), says the Tokyo Olympics might not take place in the summer.
March 11: The World Health Organisation declares a pandemic. American professional sports leagues shut down.
March 18: The IOC doubles down on its commitment to stage the Games despite growing voices of dissent from athletes, officials and pundits.
March 24: With the virus spreading rapidly worldwide, Japan and the IOC make the historic decision to postpone the Olympics. A new date is announced for the opening ceremony - July 23, 2021 - but the event will still be called Tokyo 2020.
The organisers later insist that there is "no chance" the Games will be postponed for a second time.
December: Organisers outline plans for holding the Games safely, with athletes facing regular testing and restrictions on mingling, and spectators spared quarantine but banned from cheering.
The IOC says it will try to ensure as many participants as possible are vaccinated, but jabs will not be obligatory.
January 2021: Public support for the Olympics plunges in Japan as a virus state of emergency is declared in Tokyo and other regions to halt a winter spike in infections.
But the organisers and the IOC insist the Games will be held, with Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga saying they will be "proof of mankind's victory over the virus".
March: The organisers announce overseas fans will be barred to limit virus risks, marking the first time the Olympics will be held without foreign spectators.
On March 25, the cherry blossom-shaped torch is lit in Fukushima, with no spectators allowed at the launch.
April: Virus rules are tightened in several parts of Japan as cases spike, including in Tokyo and Osaka, where the torch relay is forced off public roads as a result.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
