It's official: You now have 365 days to prepare for the Olympics. Whether you are one of the world's best athletes, or perhaps planning to make some extra money selling bootleg T-shirts to tourists (or both), the Tokyo 2020 Olympics will be opening their doors one year from yesterday. After months of uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has released its official playing schedule for next summer. USA Table Tennis then released the table tennis playing schedule for what is still officially, if anachronistically, dubbed the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. The first events, the women's and men's singles preliminary round, as well as the mixed doubles round of 16, will commence on July 24, 2001. For those of you keeping score at home, that is exactly one year from today. The International Table Tennis Federation, for its part, has been working with the IOC to revise the Olympic qualification system. All previously qualified athletes are secure in their spots, while the remaining continental qualification tournaments have been postponed until April 2021. For those who have already punched their tickets to Tokyo, the challenge is to stay in shape when regular training and competition are impossible. Such is the case for US Olympian and reigning men's singles champion Kanak Jha (pictured), who comepeted the 2016 Olympics at the tender age of 16. Jha recently left the lockdown at his home in Milpitas, California, to resume training with his club in Germany where he plays professionally. "It takes some time to get back in the flow when you come back," said Jha. "Obviously, you're very rusty, you're not feeling your game so much, but at the same time, it's the same problem for everybody." While the pandemic has been disruptive for everyone, it has been particularly disruptive for athletes who must travel around the world to compete in order to maintain their elite status. Jha, however, has found unexpected benefits in his unexpected break, both physical and psychological. "Actually, one of the benefits of this time off from table tennis is I focused a lot on my body and making it stronger and not having any of the stresses of the normal table tennis life," says Jha, who eagerly awaits the resumption of German league play this September. Germany and other European countries have managed to keep COVID-19 under control by following strict hygienic protocols, thus enabling the cautious and gradual resumption of table tennis competition. Europe's collective responsible action has not only helped to slow the spread of the deadly pandemic, but also to improve the chances of one US Olympian. Now he has to make the most of his extra year of training.

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