Despite the absence of spectators, the Tokyo Olympics is certainly serving up its fair share of drama and thrills highlighting the extremely narrow margins between delight and despair.
It has also thrown the spotlight on the intense pressure faced by the top competitors which is affecting them like never before.
Two notable casualties have been Japan's Naomi Osaka (23), knocked out in the third round of the tennis tournament and American gymnastics superstar Simone Biles (24), who withdrew after a below par performance.
Both handled the situation with grace considering the enormous levels of stress and scrutiny they were under.
We have been aware of Osaka's mental battles for some time and her loss was always a possibility, even though she had performed well in her previous matches.
She did not hide her disappointment, saying "my expectations were a lot higher… I didn't know how to handle the pressure."
Perhaps more dramatic was the Biles situation because she has been so brilliant for so long and has set such a high standard of excellence it was inevitable that one day she would fall short of expectations.
It was noticeable that Biles was not at her best and she was very honest about it.
"I have to focus on my mental health," she said. "After my performance, I just didn't want to go on."
Gymnastics comes down to such fine margins that one little mistake can trigger a lack of confidence that is hard to overcome.
Former British gymnast Beth Tweddle summed up the Biles situation succinctly: "Every competition she goes into everybody expects her to be perfection, and it's just not possible."
You can only admire Biles for her courage after her withdrawal to return and act as a cheerleader for her team as they took silver, losing to the awkwardly-named Russian Olympic Committee.
Another competitor you had to feel for is Dutch cyclist Annemiek van Vleuten who thought she had won gold in the gruelling women's cycling road race, not realising unfancied Austrian Anna Kiesenhofer had finished way ahead of her.
As Van Vleuten crossed the line she raised her hands in celebration clearly believing she had won, only to be told she was second.
Just imagine her disappointment. However, a gold medal in the time trial later on probably consoled her a little.
It was also a feel-good story in that the Austrian cyclist who had been given absolutely no chance of winning, achieved gold through guts and determination.
There have been plenty of other upbeat stories of course.
For Thailand there was the terrific performance by Panipak Wongpattanakit (23) to win gold in taekwondo in dramatic fashion with a last-gasp kick in the women's 49kg final.
Seeing the young Thai jump into the arms of her coach Choi Young-Seok in delight was a lovely moment.
"I've waited five years for this," she said before dedicating her medal to the people of Thailand.
Taekwondo is one of those sports in which a substantial lead can disappear in seconds and it was no coincidence that this competition has been the scene of many tears following dramatic late changes of fortune.
You can only imagine the joy in one Japanese family who witnessed both their son and daughter win judo golds within hours of one another.
Abe Hifumi (23) and little sister Abe Uta (21) both triumphed, becoming the first brother and sister to secure gold in the same Olympics.
There were wonderful scenes in the skateboarding which made its Olympic debut in grand style.
The women's street competition had a very youthful feel to it with gold going to 13-year-old Japanese girl Momiji Nishiya, one of the youngest ever to win an Olympic gold.
Standing next to her on the podium was another 13-year-old and a 16-year-old, in what is believed to be the youngest Olympic podium ever.
It wasn't just the skateboards skills that caught the eye.
The camaraderie amongst the contestants was truly refreshing to behold as they cheered and consoled one another, no matter what nation they represented.
When they fell off the skateboards, which was quite often, there were no tears but after the initial grimace came plenty of smiles and waving to their fellow competitors.
In fact the only tears came from the winner, Momiji admitting, "I was beyond happy."
Now this is surely what the Olympics are all about.
Considering the immense difficulties which competitors have faced whilst preparing and training for these Games, you could argue everybody taking part deserves a medal.