The COVIDLympics, Day Zero, Part One: The Non-Opening Ceremony Part

• There will be a small bit of competition today -- largely in an event the USA will not be interested in.  Rowing will have it's heat races Friday JP, and archery will have it's seeding shootings as well.
• NBC will do a live broadcast of the Opening Ceremony at about 4 AM Pacific.  The prime-time, edited, #NBCFail version, 7:30 Pacific Friday night (with Day 1's events already starting by then).
• This post will cover everything BUT the Opening Ceremony for Day Zero.
• 2014 European Champion in the 400m hurdles Karlem Hussein, running for Switzerland -- banned from the Games as part of a nine-month suspension for doping.
• Alex Hazdic has been banned from the Olympic Village by his sport, USA Fencing, for three claims of sexual harassment by women between 2013 and 2015.  He will be allowed to compete, but must stay 30 minutes outside the village at all times.
• Several hundred Japanese protested the Olympics near the stadium.  Though surrounded by police that they would not disrupt the event, they were not arrested nor otherwise accosted for protesting.  Just asked to keep the roads clear.
• Even at a little under four hours, many athletes were expelled for COVID considerations from the end of the Opening Ceremony.  No hard feelings THERE, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...   
• Probably after significant jawboning from the IOC, Guinea reversed course and decided to participate in the Tokyo Games, one of 206 nations to do so.  A Tokyo 2020 volunteer carried their flag.  Five athletes will represent the nation.
• About one USA athlete in six (about 100) is unvaccinated, according to a study of forms submitted...
• The curve continues to steepen:  The number of reported cases, as of the Opening Ceremony, of Olympic-affiliated parties with the coronavirus has now exceeded one hundred.
• Early skinny has the losers of the Fashion Olympics (Opening Ceremony Edition) to be the Italians and an Armani-designed outfit.  One Yahoo! reporter says it looked like Pac-Man tried to eat their white shirt and got sick.