TOKYO: With the Tokyo Olympic Games set to come to a close on Sunday, all eyes are on the closing ceremony to be held at the Japan National Stadium with no spectators in the stands from 8 p.m. (11 a.m. GMT) the same day.

After the Tokyo Games officially began on July 23 with an opening ceremony featuring a performance inspired by pictograms of Olympic sports and a show of drones forming a revolving globe over the stadium, many are interested in what attractions will be in the closing event.

In Olympic closing ceremonies, athletes are not separated by their countries and regions when they enter the venue. The practice originated in the 1964 Tokyo Games, when athletes from around the world entered together even though they were supposed to march through the venue by country or region after all the flagbearers.

The sight of athletes mingling regardless of race and gender and enjoying themselves was welcomed as a symbol of peace.

Japanese literary giant Yukio Mishima called the sight “beauty in chaos,” while another noted Japanese novelist Kenzaburo Oe applauded the “dozens of minutes of the best festive atmosphere.”

However, such a scene is unlikely to form at Sunday’s ceremony, with a spike in novel coronavirus infections in Japan putting a damper on the festive mood.

Coronavirus prevention rules requiring Olympians to leave the athletes’ village within two days of the end of their competitions have led to many already returning to their home countries, leaving only a limited number of athletes at the ceremony.

The closing ceremony will feature a show in which the Olympic flag will be handed over to the host of the 2024 Games, Paris.

In the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, then-Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe appeared in the ceremony dressed up as popular game character Super Mario, causing a buzz. Many are paying attention to what Paris will do to promote their Games.

Japanese Crown Prince Akishino will attend the ceremony on behalf of Emperor Naruhito. International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach will declare the end of the 17-day Tokyo Olympics and the Olympic flame will be extinguished.

Also on ceremony watchers’ radar is the music that will accompany the event. In the 1964 Games, Auld Lang Syne was sung to commemorate the end of the Tokyo Olympics.

Music and characters from popular Japanese anime works may play key roles at the closing ceremony to rile up the audience, as music from popular Japanese video games did at the opening ceremony.

JIJI Press