The Tokyo Paralympic Games kick off on Tuesday, and like the Olympic Games before them, will feature events taking place with no spectators in the stands due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

It’s estimated that Japan spent more than $15bn preparing for the Olympics over the past decade — double initial estimates — all for games that almost no one was able to attend.

Yet even that hefty bill doesn’t factor in the true cost of hosting the games, activists say.

While international audiences are treated to gorgeous aerial views of the Olympics every four years, the residents of the