But one familiar aspect will remain - the International Olympic Committee (IOC) gravy train will chug along, albeit with slightly fewer passengers than at previous Games.

The IOC announced late last night that only those with "essential and operational roles" will be granted accreditation for Tokyo 2020, a sensible move in a COVID-19 era and which officials close to the organisation claim could reduce the number of attendees at the Games by more than 1,500.

According to the IOC, its members - all 103 of them - are covered under this definition and will, unsurprisingly, be granted their usual pass for the event and the $450 (£326/€380) per diem (or $900/£652/€762 for Executive Board members) that comes with it.

If every member was to attend Tokyo 2020 from the Opening Ceremony to the Closing Ceremony - as hugely unlikely as that is - it would cost the IOC at least $842,000 (£611,000/€713,000) in per diems alone. That figure does not include travel or accommodation, which the IOC foots the bill for, and they have the option to stay for longer.

The main role of an IOC member at the Games is to represent the organisation, a task some have managed better than others at recent Olympics, carry out IOC business, schmooze world leaders and to present a few medals. It is hard to argue the IOC is getting value for money.

I must stress this criticism does not apply to every member and not every per-diem penny is wasted. After all, there are studious, dedicated and passionate sports officials among the IOC cohort.

Yet equally it is not difficult to find examples to the contrary. At the last Olympics, the Winter Games in Pyeongchang in 2018, colleagues told stories of one member who spent almost the entire event sat in the lobby of the IOC hotel while conducting his own private business. For the good of sport, indeed.

The IOC insists the membership fits this "essential" criterion as it "is the ultimate decision-making body", but you have to go back to June 2019 to find an example of it making an actual decision instead of rubber-stamping something already approved by the Executive Board - the vote to award the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics to Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo.

Given the stringent rules that all participants and attendees will have to adhere to, coupled with the fact they will have to leave their partners at home, it would not be surprising if a considerable number of IOC members decline to travel to the Games. For others, the decision might be out of their hands, depending on the COVID-19 situation in their respective countries.

Of course, there will be those who will still be happy to fly to Tokyo, stay within the boundaries of the IOC hotel, pocket their money and return home again, but COVID-19 might make even members in that bracket think twice about going.

World leaders might also have a decision to make in this regard. Some may claim it is "essential" for them to be there, but would it be a good look to have, say, United States President Joe Biden, who has marketed himself as a man of the people, fly to a sports event on the other side of the world while large parts of the country battle a surge in COVID-19 cases?

The more Presidents and Prime Ministers who decline, the less the diplomatic impact on their Japanese hosts.

The tightening of accreditation rules, typically loose for everyone except those in the media, for Tokyo 2020 is the right move.

Often there are far too many people accredited for the Games, plenty of whom have barely a spurious connection to the event itself and are merely there for a jolly and a good time.

Perhaps Tokyo 2020 provides the IOC with an opportunity to assess its guest programme and other schemes it employs during the Games, with a view to another reduction at Beijing 2022, Paris 2024 and beyond.

What is more likely is the Olympic gravy train returning to full speed as soon as the tracks are smooth enough for it to do so.

ITTF in crisis as leadership dispute intensifies

This week saw the latest episode in a crisis at the very top of a longstanding Olympic International Federation.

The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Executive Committee, if you believe a statement published on the governing body's website, essentially issued a vote of no confidence in President Thomas Weikert amid his dispute with Deputy President Khalil Al-Mohannadi.

In short, Al-Mohannadi was removed from his position by Weikert in February. Weikert said agreement on strategic goals and mutual trust are the prerequisites for effective cooperation between President and Deputy" but said "this unity no longer existed, and that led to my decision".

The dismissal of the Qatari, reinstated by the Executive Committee, came amid allegations that he had breached ITTF rules as he had been using his own private company to do business with Joola, a leading table tennis manufacturer, among other claims. Al-Mohannadi denies any wrongdoing and has hit back with his own legal letter.

The development was far from surprising. Al-Mohannadi and Weikert have been at loggerheads, both publicly and privately, for more than a year.

As is often the case in sports politics, it is all connected to an election. Al-Mohannadi remains frustrated that Weikert is running for a second full four-year term, reneging on an initial promise to stand down this year, and relations between the two have soured ever since.

The Qatari ran for the top job in 2017 before withdrawing to support Weikert, seemingly on the proviso that the German return the favour in 2021 to allow him to become President.

We have seen plenty of bitter campaigns in recent years, but few would be able to match the levels of animosity if both Weikert and Al-Mohannadi are on the ballot for the September 18 election.