The Olympic flame’s departure from the J-Village National Training Center in Fukushima Prefecture on Thursday effectively kicked off the Tokyo Games, setting in motion what's shaping up to be the most expensive Olympics ever and the first without overseas fans after they were barred from attending in response to the pandemic.
From the construction of state-of-the-art venues and unprecedented ticket sales to coveted broadcast rights, lucrative sponsorships and backdoor politics, years of commercialization — of the International Olympic Committee and of the world economy itself — have raised the stakes for the global sporting event to new heights, making each investment a greater gamble and every marketing opportunity that much more enticing.
But possible gains continue to outweigh glaring risks in large part due to momentum propelled by money and politics, but nurtured by the IOC.