Uplifting is an understatement for many nations, not least Britain, as the daily dose of exhilaration was delivered on our TV screens.

Virtually - a word I use advisedly - in a whole variety of sports every day has dawned amid golden glory. These Games have created their own pandemic, proving as infectious as they are enthralling. A true triumph for Tokyo and an antidote as welcome as any vaccine for the watching world. The COVID-19 cloud has more than just a silver lining.

I say this as one deeply concerned over whether Tokyo was doing the right thing in pressing ahead with an Olympics. But unless something goes tragically awry between now and the end of the week - and then the conclusion of the ensuing Paralympics - both the Tokyo organisers and International Olympic Committee (IOC) will have been vindicated in their determination to stage even a crowd-free spectacle.

Even this gnarled old scribe was enticed to switch on the box at the crack of dawn to cheer British sailors make a piratical dash for bullion in races reminiscent of those photo-finishes on the track or racecourse.

I have even tried to get my tongue around the new "yoof" lingo of BMX, where intrepid trick cyclists fly through the air, looping the loop like Spitfire pilots of old, shrugging off the inherent dangers of a sport which, as the IOC clearly intended, has captivated a whole new audience.

Yet it is not just the BMX factor which has made Tokyo 2020 such a hit among young and old alike. More than anything we have seen the advancement of women across the whole spectrum of sport, so many now from emergent nations. So much so that the inclusion of some mixed events - most notably the triathlon relay - indicates the possibility in years to come of men and women competing with and against each other in other team sports. Surely it is not beyond the realms of possibility that as girl power increases, physically, such sports as football, cricket and rugby might contain a mixture of the sexes. That would be a fascinating experiment for the IOC to consider.

Of course, any British view of Tokyo inevitably is covered by the continuing success of Team GB, now unquestionably bracketed among the sporting superpowers. Enviable rivals will say it is all down to liberal funding from the Government and the National Lottery via UK Sport.

Yes, this is invaluable but it is not the only reason. Over the past half dozen Games, say from Sydney 2000 onwards, British Olympic sport has become more professional in every sense. I remember back in Tokyo, and for some Games after those, how the British Olympic Association itself was a little more than a glorified travel agency, seemingly more concerned that brass buttons on blazers were well polished and that everyone marched in step during the Opening Ceremony.

That all changed and a new philosophy was developed under the chairmanship of Sir Craig Reedie, who put the emphasis on performance and not appearance. His successors, Colin Moynihan, Sebastian Coe and now Sir Hugh Robertson, who was Sports Minister during London 2012, have followed suit. In Tokyo Sir Hugh, chief executive Andy Anson and experienced Chef de Mission Mark England head a formidable and inspirational taskforce overseeing a squad composed largely of fresh young talent and a few old hands who are clearly thrilled to be there.

We have seen tears of joy amid the copious celebrations but those of disappointment, too; the hamstring heartbreak of GB’s two top sprinters and the calf injury to our heptathlon hope.

But the disappointments have been heavily outweighed by the successes, so many of them unexpected silvers such as among women's weightlifting and the women's 800 metres.

There was always the danger that these games might have a hollow ring about them with empty stadiums and arenas, but this has not been so for those of us watching at home. I hope I am not being premature, but so far Tokyo has been something of a triumph all round.