Almost a year later, Japan took on the Tokyo Summer Olympics

Let’s be fair, let’s not jump all over Japan.

Its fourth summer Olympics held 57 years after the 1964 Games reintroduced the country after its World War II defeat, represented a planet trying to come together at a moment in history when disease and circumstance and politics had splintered it apart.

It was an Olympics set to begin in 2000, but it was postponed while many Japanese rejected it, thought it would be best to just close the book on it, see if anyone else on the globe wanted to piece together an event in the middle of a re-surging pandemic and plagued by months of administrative problems.

It was felt that these games would bring on logistical and medal obstacles like no other, offered up serious conversations about mental health, and when it came to sports, delivered both triumphs and and a few surprising shortfalls.

From the outset, expectations were middling at best, apocalyptic at worst. Who knows what Japan was thinking or expecting, but it pushed everything else aside and stepped in to present this four-year event now almost two years later. A skilled nation with hospitable people, it decided to take care of, let’s say, business.

And as the cauldron was snuffed out Sunday night after the pandemic Olympics concluded, it’s easy to argue that Tokyo can take its place as a Games that didn’t fail, as one that overcame a lot to even happen at all. Simply put, Japan was smart enough to realize that we are in a new normal, and that this edition of the Games were going to be different.

It put together a masterful opening ceremony that brought actors, dancers, singers, plenty of color and a delightful mixture of lighting. What followed was the usual, every one of the 120 countries marched into the vast, huge stadium carrying respective flags of their nations.

In this day and age of disrespect for many countries that included take it or leave it when national anthems were played, as in the United States deciding to respect the red, white and blue flag correctly or just taking a knee, as in placing your hand on your heart and even singing along or just taking a hike to the locker room to the disgust of those in the stands.

So this was good. But there were drawbacks in the closing ceremony when the parade of athletes carrying national flags — thousands of Olympians masked and unmasked clustering together before fanning out into the world itself again, was affected. Volunteers carried some flags into the stadium, presumably because of rules requiring athletes to leave the country shortly after their events concluded.

No fault of the Japanese. It was just going by the political paperwork provided as this show of nations was delayed. It began with a virus and the year-long

pause. It wound down with a typhoon blowing through and, still a virus. In between, just about everything.

But there was little controversy. Japan officials were polite, kept events running smooth, most on time, and most, despite an almost empty stadium and the same at other venues, there were cheers on the huge video screens from those back home, and some entertaining, some surprising results in about every sport, whether track or field.

The men’s and women’s marathons were run in Sapporo, some 500 miles north of Tokyo, and both began at sunset and finished while the blazing sun was now about 90 temperatures, and when several runners couldn’t take the heat and dropped out, but don’t blame Japan, it was working to provide the Olympics and not to provide the weather.

And for the first time since the pandemic began, the entire world came together. It wasn’t 100 percent, but it was kind of a blessing thanks to Japan spending extra time and billions and more billions of dollars to make everyone happy.

Even the athletes were having fun, and that included winners and losers. There were hugs, there were congratulations passed along, there were handshakes, but no signs of anything controversial, without incident other than sporting milestones, and no athletes or coaches complaining about fouls or finishes.

In fact, even a moderate earthquake rumbled through as an event was beginning, and was quickly forgotten. Scattered protests of the Games reflected a portion of Japan’s sentiment, though certainly not all. The expenses — upwards of $15 billion — were colossal and will echo in Tokyo long after athletes are gone.

Yes, spectators were kept at bay, Japan’s pandemic protocol restrictions mostly in Tokyo and areas surrounding it, and a patchwork of rules kept athletes masked and apart for much of the medal ceremonies, yet saw them swapping bodily fluids in some venues. That was less about being remiss than about being real. Risks that could be mitigated were, but at the same time events had to go on.

And in front of such formidable backdrops, athletic excellence burst through from the Games’ first gold medal won by China’s Yang Qian in the 100-meter air rifle on July 24 to the last when Serbia defeated Greece in men’s water polo

on Sunday afternoon.

Japan was happy at its medal haul, 58, its most ever. The USA once again stood above the rest with a last-day gold from its women’s volleyball team that overtook China in the golds and accounted for 113 points. China was second, 25 points behind. Great Britain finished just ahead of Japan for third place.

Every venue was a sight to behold, all with colorful seats for those allowed, all with the modern designing look, and all neat and clean.

This was all accomplished by Japan, a nation of beauty and hospitality.

Otherwise, it did the best if could, for there were tens of thousands of COVID-19 tests for athletes, staff, journalists and visitors that barely produced more than 400 positives, a far cry from the rest of non-bubble Japan, where surges in positive cases provoked its government to declare increasingly widespread states of emergency.

In the meantime, the program for Tokyo’s closing ceremonies, outlining its “Worlds We Share” theme, captured the effect of the pandemic and the virtual worlds and separation anxiety to which it has given birth.

Yes, we are in a new normal, and this edition of the Games were a different affair, and even if we can’t be together, we can share the same moment, and that is something that we will never forget, plus television viewers can’t complain as NBC and ESPN did a neat job despite being multiple, sometimes 53, hours behind.

And good job Japan, in any language you deserve kudos.

Next, it is handing off the 2004 Summer Games baton to Paris, but this delay has effectively crammed two Olympics together, with the Winter Games conversing in just six months in another major Asian metropolis, Beijing, Japan’s rival in East Asia.