Veterans like Liverpool’s Wataru Endo, 31, had been rumored as possible options to supplement the 18-man squad, but instead Japan will be counting on youth in Paris.
Competitors believe innovation can be the difference in a sport where medals are sometimes decided by a mere fingertip, although the evidence is not as clear.
This month marks the final sumo tournament for Nagoya's Dolphins Arena, and the rankings list could look very different when the new venue opens next year.
The Czech sixth seed slumped to a 6-4, 6-2 defeat as her reign ended with a whimper and there was also crushing disappointment for two-time champion Andy Murray.
A shockingly one-sided match in Berlin led to a dismal last-16 exit after Luciano Spalletti's side had scraped through the group stage by the skin of its teeth.
After a long drought for the soccer power, Germany deservedly ran out as a 2-0 winner in Dortmund to reach a first major tournament quarterfinal in eight years.
Basketball star Victor Wembanyama joined other leading French athletes on Thursday in warning against voting for the "extremes" in this weekend's parliamentary election.