Most controversial Games in living memory opened with music, dance, pyrotechnics and Naomi Osaka in a sparsely populated stadium as protestors gathered outside

Setting the right emotional tone for the precursor to an Olympic Games being held in such extraordinary circumstances was always going to be a perilous exercise in not causing offence, to a world traumatised by a pandemic and to a host nation deeply uneasy about its moment in the spotlight.

An opening ceremony that overstated its tragic backdrop would have sent a curious message to thousands of athletes, confined inside an Olympic bubble, as they begin their quest for medals. Yet one that appeared to overtly celebrate the start of the world’s biggest sporting event would have come across as insensitive – even callous – in a week when daily Covid-19 cases in Tokyo reached their highest level for six months.

Related: Eleven outstanding moments from the Olympic opening ceremony | Martin Belam