Matt Maher: Long journey to Tokyo is over, but it will not feel the same

“They sit you on the edge of the ring and pretty much spell it out to you,” he says. “You are told: ‘You have four years, whoever puts the work in, whoever switches on, will be an Olympian’.”

On Sunday, the Darlaston light-heavyweight will realise that dream when he begins his quest for gold in Tokyo.

A journey just as gruelling as he was told to expect by his coaches has, thanks to the pandemic, also taken a year longer than planned.

For Whittaker and thousands of other athletes, the Olympic experience in Japan over the next fortnight will be unlike any before in the 125-year history of the modern Games.

There will be no fans and due to the strict protocols competitors must follow away from the arena, perhaps not a huge amount of fun either.

The IOC could be forgiven for feeling it has seen little luck with timing. Rising cases in Tokyo means a state of emergency will be in place throughout the Games while an initial ban on spectators from overseas has been extended to no spectators at all.

Major sponsors, including the car giant Toyota, are taking a step back for fear of being caught in the backlash from an increasingly angry Japanese public.

On Tuesday, Games organising committee chief Toshiro Muto refused to even rule out a last-minute cancellation should there be a further surge in cases.

Calling it all off at such a late stage would be a huge shock and is unlikely, primarily because of the billions of dollars already spent by the Japanese government on preparing for them.

It would also be a hammer blow for those athletes like Whittaker who have worked tirelessly toward their goal and kept the faith through all the uncertainty of the last 16 months.

They have known for a long time realising their Olympic dream would come with unusual caveats, including several weeks of isolation and regular testing. Yet still they have kept going and now they are ready to compete. After all the sacrifices, this will still be a proud moment for them and their families.

It is understandable staging a major global event in a city where case rates are so high will make many observers queasy. But from the perspective of athletes who have put years of hard work into reaching this moment, a Games stripped of fanfare is better than no Games at all.