Wearing masks and protective goggles, and some behind face shields, athletes and coaches from China's celebrated Olympics teams, including table tennis, women's soccer and badminton, appeared in high spirits at Narita International Airport over the weekend, to the excitement of awaiting supporters and photographers.

After an extra year of the waiting, Chinese Olympians have been braced for not just athletic challenges, but also strict pandemic-control restrictions at arguably the toughest Olympic Games in history.