Key Olympic moments from before opening ceremony - Good Morning America

US gymnastics team leaves Olympic Village for hotel

Gymnastics coach Cecila Landi stated the safety of the team from the ongoing pandemic could be better managed at a hotel than at the Olympic village. The team will continue to be tested for COVID-19 daily, just as they would at the athletes' village.

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Ashley Landis/AP Photo

PHOTO: From left, Grace McCallum, Jordan Chiles, Simone Biles, and Sunisa Lee of the United States wait their turn to train on vault for artistic gymnastics at Ariake Gymnastics Centre venue ahead of the 2020 Summer Olympics.

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4 new Olympic events set to debut this year

The 2020 Games will include skateboarding, sport climbing, surfing and karate for the first time in Olympic history. In addition, the 2020 games will see the return of softball and baseball, and new disciplines in existing sports such as three-on-three basketball and bmx freestyle.

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Matthew Childs/Reuters

PHOTO: Jagger Eaton of the United States skates during the men's street training atAriake Urban Sports Park, Tokyo, Japan on July 20, 2021.

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Francisco Seco/AP

PHOTO: Australia's Owen Wright rides a wave during a training session at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Thursday, July 22, 2021, at Tsurigasaki beach in Ichinomiya, Japan.

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Jill Biden leads delegation to Tokyo

First lady Jill Biden landed in Tokyo to attend the opening ceremony. Around 950 people, including journalists, heads of state and Olympic officials will attend the ceremonies.

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Kyodo/via Reuters

PHOTO: First Lady Jill Biden arrives at Yokota Air Base to attend the opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, July 22, 2021, in this photo released by Kyodo.

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Olympics highlights gender equality

The 2020 Games feature the most female athletes at any Olympics with nearly 49% of the total athletes competing, as well as the first transgender athlete, New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard, to compete in the games. Additionally, the amount of mixed-gender events have doubled this Olympics.

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Masashi Hara/Getty Images

PHOTO: Ellen White of Team Great Britain celebrates with teammates after scoring their side's second goal during the Women's First Round Group E match between Great Britain and Chile during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Sapporo Dome on July 21, 2021.

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Paul Childs/Reuters

PHOTO: In this file photo, Laurel Hubbard of New Zealand competes at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.

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IOC loosens restriction on athlete's expression

The International Olympic Committee has loosened some restrictions on athletes' political and social expressions, allowing them to express their views during interviews, on social media and on the field before competition.

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Noriko Hayashi/Bloomberg via Getty Images

PHOTO: Players take the knee ahead of an opening round women's football match between the U.S. and Sweden at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, on Wednesday, July 21, 2021.

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The opening ceremonies will begin at 7 a.m. Eastern Standard Time on Friday, July 23, 2021. See more scenes from pre-ceremony events below:

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Clive Mason/Getty Images

PHOTO: Nikole Barnes and Lara Dallman-Weiss of Team USA (center) sail their 470 class dinghy during a practice race ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games on July 21, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan.

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Silvia Izquierdo/AP Photo

PHOTO: Japan's goalkeeper Sakiko Ikeda falls as Canada's players celebrate after Canada's Christine Sinclair scores a goal against Japan during a women's soccer match at the 2020 Summer Olympics, July 21, 2021, in Sapporo, Japan.

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Julian Finney/Getty Images

PHOTO: Yu-Jan Shiao of Chinese Taipei during a practice session at the Ariake Gymnastics Centre ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games on July 21, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan.

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Jung Yeon-je/AFP via Getty Images

PHOTO: Table tennis players practice during a table tennis training session at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, in Tokyo, on July 21, 2021, ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

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Stefan Wermuth/Reuters

PHOTO: A diver trains at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre, Tokyo, Japan on July 21, 2021.

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Yuichi Yamazaki/Getty Images

PHOTO: Torch bearers exchange the flame during the Olympic Torch Relay Celebration event on July 21, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan.

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Loic Venance/AFP via Getty Images

PHOTO: A British gymnast takes part in a training session at the Ariake Gymnastics Centre in Tokyo on July 22, 2021, ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

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For more Olympics coverage, see: https://abcnews.com/Sports/Olympics

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