Column: Olympic athletes ponder what might've been in Tokyo
A man wearing a mask against the spread of the new coronavirus walks at the Olympic rings in front of the New National Stadium Wednesday, July 22, 2020, in Tokyo. The postponed Tokyo Olympics have again reached the one-year-to-go mark. But the celebration is small this time with more questions than answers about how the Olympics can happen in the middle of a pandemic. That was before COVID-19 postponed the Olympics and pushed back the opening to July 23, 2021. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A man wearing a mask against the spread of the new coronavirus walks at the Olympic rings in front of the New National Stadium Wednesday, July 22, 2020, in Tokyo. The postponed Tokyo Olympics have again reached the one-year-to-go mark. But the celebration is small this time with more questions than answers about how the Olympics can happen in the middle of a pandemic. That was before COVID-19 postponed the Olympics and pushed back the opening to July 23, 2021. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Jul. 22, 2020 09:51 PM EDT
FILE - In this April 28, 2020, file photo, a man with a face mask against the spread of the new coronavirus walks in front of Miraitowa and Someity, mascots for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics at a park in Tokyo. The postponed Tokyo Olympics have again reached the one-year-to-go mark. But the celebration is small this time with more questions than answers about how the Olympics can happen in the middle of a pandemic. That was before COVID-19 postponed the Olympics and pushed back the opening to July 23, 2021. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)

FILE - In this April 28, 2020, file photo, a man with a face mask against the spread of the new coronavirus walks in front of Miraitowa and Someity, mascots for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics at a park in Tokyo. The postponed Tokyo Olympics have again reached the one-year-to-go mark. But the celebration is small this time with more questions than answers about how the Olympics can happen in the middle of a pandemic. That was before COVID-19 postponed the Olympics and pushed back the opening to July 23, 2021. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)

Jul. 22, 2020 09:56 PM EDT
FILE - In this June 3, 2020, photo, the Olympic rings float in the water at sunset in the Odaiba section in Tokyo. The postponed Tokyo Olympics have again reached the one-year-to-go mark. But the celebration is small this time with more questions than answers about how the Olympics can happen in the middle of a pandemic. That was before COVID-19 postponed the Olympics and pushed back the opening to July 23, 2021. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)

FILE - In this June 3, 2020, photo, the Olympic rings float in the water at sunset in the Odaiba section in Tokyo. The postponed Tokyo Olympics have again reached the one-year-to-go mark. But the celebration is small this time with more questions than answers about how the Olympics can happen in the middle of a pandemic. That was before COVID-19 postponed the Olympics and pushed back the opening to July 23, 2021. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)

Jul. 22, 2020 09:56 PM EDT
Women take photos of the Olympic rings in front of the New National Stadium Wednesday, July 22, 2020, in Tokyo. The postponed Tokyo Olympics have again reached the one-year-to-go mark. But the celebration is small this time with more questions than answers about how the Olympics can happen in the middle of a pandemic. That was before COVID-19 postponed the Olympics and pushed back the opening to July 23, 2021. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Women take photos of the Olympic rings in front of the New National Stadium Wednesday, July 22, 2020, in Tokyo. The postponed Tokyo Olympics have again reached the one-year-to-go mark. But the celebration is small this time with more questions than answers about how the Olympics can happen in the middle of a pandemic. That was before COVID-19 postponed the Olympics and pushed back the opening to July 23, 2021. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Jul. 22, 2020 09:49 PM EDT
This aerial photo shows the New National Stadium, main stadium for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, in Tokyo, Tuesday, July 21, 2020. The postponed Tokyo Olympics have again reached the one-year-to-go mark. But the celebration is small this time with more questions than answers about how the Olympics can happen in the middle of a pandemic. That was before COVID-19 postponed the Olympics and pushed back the opening to July 23, 2021. (Kyodo News via AP)

This aerial photo shows the New National Stadium, main stadium for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, in Tokyo, Tuesday, July 21, 2020. The postponed Tokyo Olympics have again reached the one-year-to-go mark. But the celebration is small this time with more questions than answers about how the Olympics can happen in the middle of a pandemic. That was before COVID-19 postponed the Olympics and pushed back the opening to July 23, 2021. (Kyodo News via AP)

Jul. 22, 2020 09:53 PM EDT
This aerial photo shows the New National Stadium, main stadium for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, in Tokyo, Tuesday, July 21, 2020. The postponed Tokyo Olympics have again reached the one-year-to-go mark. But the celebration is small this time with more questions than answers about how the Olympics can happen in the middle of a pandemic. That was before COVID-19 postponed the Olympics and pushed back the opening to July 23, 2021. (Kyodo News via AP)

This aerial photo shows the New National Stadium, main stadium for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, in Tokyo, Tuesday, July 21, 2020. The postponed Tokyo Olympics have again reached the one-year-to-go mark. But the celebration is small this time with more questions than answers about how the Olympics can happen in the middle of a pandemic. That was before COVID-19 postponed the Olympics and pushed back the opening to July 23, 2021. (Kyodo News via AP)

Jul. 22, 2020 09:54 PM EDT