Honored to be mentioned alongside Inside the Games and SBNation on Cision PR Newswire's "Beyond Bylines" blog as a recommended Olympic blog as Tokyo 2020 approaches.

Since 1954, PR Newswire has been a leading press release distribution service, currently reaching nearly 3,000 newsrooms globally. "Beyond Bylines" is PR Newswire's media blog.

Games and Rings is a labor of love and a work of passion, for the Olympics. And, it's a way to force myself to regularly follow Olympic sports news, while sharing tidbits I find interesting with a like-minded community. Happy to know it caught the eye of at least someone! Drop me a comment on my About page if you have a suggestion.

I'm inspired, too, by the work of many other Olympic bloggers; you can find their sites listed under "Favorite Sites" in the column to the right. Do yourself a favor and take a browse.

Now, back to scrolling the Olympic internet...

Brandon Wakeling will be the first Indigenous Australian weightlifter at the Olympics since Sydney 2000.

Rower James Rook is on track to be the "first male coxswain to cox an Australian women's eights at an Olympic Games."

Now a team veteran, Estonian Johanna Talihaerm looks to be a role model for newcomers at training camp ahead of the new biathlon season.

​Veteran Italian pairs figure skaters Nicole Della Monica and Matteo Guarise have persevered through tough challenges to look toward Beijing 2022 and a likely last season.

"And I'm very fortunate to say that I'm an Olympian now". Bryson DeChambeau is excited to join the men's golf field at Tokyo 2020.

The International Judo Federation announces its official list of qualified athletes for Tokyo 2020, including Israel's Raz Hershko, star of the 17 Seconds documentary.

Relative newcomer Justine Wong-Orantes made enough of an impression with her serve reception to earn libero selection for Team USA volleyball selection.

Now moving past from a try to reach Tokyo 2020, can London 2012 and Rio 2016 triathlon champion Alistair Brownlee conquer "SUB7" in the Ironman distance?

Now joining an exclusive membership of five-time basketball Olympians, Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird headline Team USA's women's team for Tokyo 2020.

​And...the U.S. men's basketball team looks set, too. (Only three athletes with Olympic experience!)

Modern pentathlete Arthur Lanigan-O'Keefe goes out a class act.

Karateka Antonio Diaz is honored to be a flag-bearer at Tokyo 2020's Opening Ceremony, and also represent Venezuela in his sport's Olympic debut.

​Team USA's Ginny Fuchs won't let missing out on the two previous Games - and an affliction with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder - stop her from Tokyo 2020 goals.

Can veteran Ryoto Yamagata make it through Japan's national track & field championships to lead the strong 100 meters contingent?

And, can one of these athletes win a rare Olympic medal for their nation in track & field this summer?

Norway's alpine skiing men's team worked on mental toughness through training with the national Coastal Ranger Commando squad.

Team Great Britain's vaunted cycling team is in a new era of guidance, but looking for more of the same Olympic success this summer.

More cycling: Lithuanian track star Simona Krupeckaite is headed to her fifth Olympics, and looking forward to a more relaxed approach.

As a member of Team USA's Olympic soccer team, Rose Lavelle will go from being an Olympics-watching "sports junkie" to an Olympian as role model for the sport.

Australia's Tim Atherton centers the not-uncommon pandemic-fueled havoc that's happened across Olympic qualification over the last year, with baseball hard hit.

If you need a reminder on what the Olympics can mean, for athletes and their communities, take a listen to Bill Dardis of Team Ireland's rugby sevens. "...kids that are going to start playing rugby, maybe, after seeing us play at the Olympics...it's pretty cool..."

Can PR Sreejesh emulate a past hero and bring back Olympic glory to Indian field hockey?
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Shooter Jin Jong-Oh is headed to his fifth Olympics this summer with the opportunity to become the sole leading all-time Olympic medalist for South Korea.

Go behind the scenes of Jake Mitchell's unique, stressful, and ultimately successful, time trial to make USA's swimming team for Tokyo 2020.

Pride Month: Three-time Olympic swimming medalist Jeremie Stravius headlines a group of six French athletes to come out as LGBTQ in the We Need to Talk documentary.

It's not only Olympic Day, it's one-month to go for the official start of Tokyo 2020.

As a passionate Olympics fan, the Opening Ceremony of each Games is such a special moment for me, a celebration of the excitement to come over the next two weeks. I remember the first wonder watching Los Angeles 1984 ceremony, and the thrill of seeing the (sporting, at least) world come together at each subsequent edition. Watching the pageantry of each ceremony unfold is a special treat. How will the host present themselves? What will be the signature visual (or sound)? What will athletes wear? Who will light the torch? How will Japan address the pandemic? Let's go!
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Read on to get prepped for the Tokyo 2020 Opening Ceremony on July 23rd.

What?
The Opening Ceremony of the Games of the XXXII Olympiad (aka the The 2020 Summer Olympics)

When?
8 p.m. JST = 4 a.m. PST = 7 a.m. EST. The ceremony is scheduled for three hours.

Why?
Although the Games will have already begun - archery, football (soccer), and softball will have had some competition already - the ceremony is the traditional celebration that officially starts each Olympics. It's a spectacle.

How to Watch?
​NBC will broadcast the ceremony live, and on primetime delay in the U.S.. Check the schedule.

What to Expect?
The ceremony has a traditional set of multiple elements. Settle in, it can be a long night (or morning if watching from the U.S.). The usual components include:
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• Artistic Program: the host nation and city opens usually with a theatric and colorful presentation of its heritage to showcase to the world, and a celebration of the Games. Will Japan's video game hero Super Mario make an Olympic return?

• The opening of the Games: Formality continues with speeches from (usually) the head of the local Olympic Organizing Committee and the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Athlete and technical official representatives take an oath for fair competition and judging, and a representative of the host nation (typically the head of state) proclaims the Games open.

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• Olympic Flag: Traditionally, a select group of host nation's premier and/or legendary athletes bring in the official Olympic flag for the official raising in the stadium.

• Olympic Flame: the arrival of the official flame into the stadium after its extended relay from Athens is a highlight. Always, there is much speculation and secrecy as to who will be the final torchbearer(s), again usually a premier Olympic athlete from the host nation. Also a last-minute reveal is the manner in which the stadium's official cauldron is lit.

What Will be Different?
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the continued state of safety restrictions in Japan, this ceremony will for sure be different. At best, a max 10,000 (domestic only) spectators can be in attendance at the Opening Ceremony, a fraction of what the stadium can hold. Goodbye, mass audience participation stunts?

​Will there be a recognition of the pandemic in official remarks?

Also, athletes have been asked to restrict their presence at the Olympic Village, so it's assumed far fewer of them will even be in Tokyo on the 23rd, especially if their competition isn't until the following week. So, the Parade of Nations will obviously take a hit in attendance, too.

One innovation offered this year is the opportunity for joint flag bearers for each NOC, to support the IOC's gender-balanced mission. Expect many nations to do so.

Maike Diekmann is set for an Olympic debut in rowing this summer, the first Namibian to do so.

Street skateboarder Mario McCoy used his pandemic time in Los Angeles to hone his Olympic preparations.

Luca Mamira is just 16 years old, but debuted at the senior judo worlds recently.

Dorian Keletela looks to inspire with his appearance at Tokyo 2020 with the IOC Refugee Olympic Team.

The International Olympic Committee unveiled an extended hype video - StrongTogether - for the upcoming Olympics ahead of tomorrow Olympic Day.

The setup: "More than a year ago, the world stopped, but there is one group of people who never stopped moving - the athletes of the Tokyo Olympic Games. It's time for us to cheer them on during the final days of their journey to Tokyo. As people, communities and a movement we are stronger together. Let's come together now; grow stronger together -- mentally, physically and in our communities; prepare together to celebrate the Tokyo2020 Olympic Games."

It's a fitting call to action, for Olympic Day, and for the upcoming Games that will take place under unprecedented pandemic times. It got my heartstrings going.

Watch it below.