With less than a month left until the start of the Tokyo Olympics, organizers and athletes are making final preparations. Originally set to be held last year, the 2020 Summer Olympics and Paralympics were postponed until this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Organizers in Tokyo have stated that the games will definitely be taking place, despite ongoing protests and public-health concerns. While overseas spectators have been barred, locals will now be allowed to attend events, with venues limiting attendance to 50 percent of capacity. Gathered below, images of athletes around the world, as they train, compete, and prepare for their long-delayed chance at an Olympic medal.
Preparing for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics
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Desmond Jackson of the United States competes in the men's long jump ambulatory finals during the 2021 U.S. Paralympic Trials at Breck High School in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on June 18, 2021. #
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Japanese torchbearer Azusa Iwashimizu, a member of Japan women's national football team, carries the Olympic torch ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games during the torch relay grand start outside J-Village National Training Center in Naraha, Fukushima Prefecture, on March 25, 2021. #
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Katarina Kowplos poses during a portrait session with members of the Australian Tokyo Olympic Games shooting squad at Brisbane International Shooting Center on June 4, 2021, in Brisbane, Australia. #
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German sport climber, World Cup winner, and Tokyo Olympics competitor Jan Hojer trains in a climbing hall as sport climbing awaits its Olympic debut in the disciplines of speed, bouldering, and lead, in Hilden, Germany, on June 4, 2021. #
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Eric Anderson dives off the starting block in the men's 50-meter freestyle preliminary races during the U.S. Olympic team trials swimming competition at CHI Health Center Omaha in Omaha, Nebraska, on June 19, 2021. #
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Sha'Carri Richardson celebrates winning the women's 100-meter final on day two of the 2020 U.S. Olympic track-and-field team trials at Hayward Field on June 19, 2021, in Eugene, Oregon. #
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Olympic skateboard qualifier Tyler Edtmayer, of Germany, gets inverted at the deep end while training at the Cradle Skatepark on August 7, 2020, in Brixlegg, Austria. Skateboarding will be an official Olympic event for the first time at the Tokyo Olympics. #
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Yoel Finol, a boxer and Venezuelan Olympic silver medalist, is assisted by his trainer Jorge Serpa during a training session for the Tokyo Olympic Games at a gym in Medellin, Colombia, on June 8, 2021. #
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Kim Herkle of SV Cannstatt competes in the women's 200-meter breaststroke heat during day three of the German Olympic qualifications at the Europa Sportpark on April 18, 2021, in Berlin, Germany. #
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Marcus Mepstead of Great Britain poses for a photo to mark the official announcement of the fencing team selected to Team GB for the Tokyo Olympic Games in Brooklyn, New York, on May 19, 2021. #
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Jordan Mann (right) falls into the water as he and Jordan Cross compete in the first round of the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase during day four of the 2020 U.S. Olympic track-and-field team trials in Eugene, Oregon, on June 21, 2021. #
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Croatia rowers Martin Sinković and Valent Sinković are seen during rowing practice on Peruća Lake, ahead of the Tokyo Olympics, near Sinj, Croatia, on June 19, 2021. #
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Noelle Lambert poses for a portrait during a practice session ahead of the 2021 U.S. Paralympic trials at Breck High School on June 16, 2021, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. #
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Montenegro's players celebrate their victory after the Tokyo Olympics women's qualifying handball match between Montenegro and Norway in Podgorica, Montenegro, on March 19, 2021. #
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Simone Manuel reacts with Abbey Weitzeil, (right), after winning the women's 50-meter freestyle final during wave two of the U.S. Olympic swim trials on June 20, 2021, in Omaha, Nebraska. #
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Leilani McGonagle of Costa Rica rides a wave in the women's main round during the 2021 ISA World Surfing Games in El Tunco Beach, El Salvador, on June 5, 2021. McGonagle qualified for the Tokyo Olympic Games. #
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Delgernyam Davaasambuu of Mongolia squares off against Thibaut Vervoort of Belgium during the semifinal men's match of the FIBA 3x3 Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2021 between Belgium and Mongolia at Kossuth Square in Debrecen, Hungary, on June 6, 2021. #
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Two-time world champion Venezuelan karate athlete Antonio Díaz, who qualified to participate in the Tokyo Olympic Games, is pictured during a training session at his dojo in Caracas on June 3, 2021. #
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Allyson Felix celebrates with her daughter Camryn after finishing second in the women's 400-meter final on day three of the 2020 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Team Trials in Eugene, Oregon, on June 20, 2021. #
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The Australian women's water-polo team poses during the Australian Tokyo Olympic Games water-polo squad announcement at St Andrew's Anglican College Aquatic Center in Sunshine Coast, Australia, on May 24, 2021. #
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Brazilian track athlete Alan Crystian exercises during a training session at NAR (High Performance Sports Center) on February 27, 2021, in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Crystian has already qualified and is preparing to participate in the Tokyo Olympics. #
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This picture shows the Ariake Arena, venue for the volleyball and wheelchair-basketball events, lit up with Olympic colors on April 14, 2021, to mark 100 days until the start of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, in Tokyo. #
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Construction workers are seen around a spectators' seating area in preparation for the Tokyo Olympic Games at Ariake Urban Sports Park in Tokyo, Japan, on June 22, 2021. #
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