This is a chronological summary of the major events of the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, which was postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The first matches in the group stages of the football and softball events was held on 21 July. The opening ceremony was scheduled two days later on 23 July. The last day of competition and the closing ceremony was on 8 August. However, the Games was referred to by its original date in all scheduled events in order to avoid confusion in future years. With the area under a state of emergency because of the pandemic, the Games were held largely behind closed doors with no spectators permitted.