What to watch if you are really missing the Olympics

The Tokyo Olympics would have started today. Watch these historic films and highlights instead.

The Olympic torch.
(Image credit: Illustrated | iStock, Screenshot/YouTube)

Since the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, only war has stopped the international competition from being held. In a sense, it has again — only this time, it is a war on mankind's tiniest and oldest enemy, the virus.

Friday was supposed to have marked the opening of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo; due to the pandemic, fans will have to wait until 2021 to root for their nation's athletes (and perhaps even longer than that). Luckily, the 124 years of the games have been not just a history of physical prowess, but a history of film as well. Here are the best movies, recaps, and clips to watch to satisfy your Olympic yearnings until the torch can be lit again.

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.