2021 Tokyo Olympics

[caltrek]

I have to admit, my knowledge of TikTok is approximately zero, so I am going by trust that Vox is getting it right.

Olympics TikTok is One of the Best Parts of the Games
by Rebecca Jennings
July 27, 2021

https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2021/7/27 ... ctok-tokyo

Introduction:

(Vox) The Summer Olympics are underway, but according to a great many people, including nearly 80 percent of polled Japanese residents, they shouldn’t even be happening at all. After being postponed from 2020 — the first time in Olympic history — citizens of Japan have urged the 2021 events to be rescheduled until cases are under control. At least two dozen athletes have been forced to drop out due to Covid-19 diagnoses, and those that remain virus-free are still subject to temperatures in the 90s with “air so thick it felt as if you had to chew it before you could breathe it.” Oh, and now there’s a possible tropical storm headed toward Tokyo.

There is still one part of the 2020 Olympics that is just as delightful as we all wish all of it could be: athletes on TikTok. These are the first Games during which TikTok has existed, so naturally, a bunch of the athletes are making the most of it. Take Team USA rugby player Ilona Maher, who’s built a 300,000-strong following showing the intricacies of the Olympic dining hall trash system, being horny for all the “tall foreign demigod lookin athletes,” and testing the durability of the infamous cardboard beds with “various activities.” Then there’s Kendall Chase, whose video on the OlympiGays of the USA women’s rowing team has gone very viral, and Erik Shoji, the American volleyball player who’s been documenting his Olympic-level meals.

As social media has done for celebrities before them, TikTok is helping audiences put faces to the names and teams on their TV screens for the next few weeks. In other words, it’s helping to humanize the athletes. Two of the top comments on one of Maher’s videos were, “I forget that they’re normal people sometimes and I love it,” and, “The olympics is so much more fun now that tiktok is a thing.”

That internet fame, in turn, is almost certainly helping athletes who aren’t one of the five or so that become household names during Olympics season — Simone Biles or Katie Ledecky, for instance — get recognition for themselves and their sport.

The remainder of the article includes a discussion of the strain hosting the Olympics can place on the host country. As usual, low-income folks can be expected to bear the brunt of the burden.

[caltrek]

Simone Biles Drops Out of Olympics Team Gymnastics Final as Russian Athletes Upset USA
by Jacob Pramuk
July 27, 2021

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/27/simone- ... at-us.html

Introduction:

(CNBC) Russian gymnasts upset the U.S. Olympic team in Tokyo on Tuesday after American superstar Simone Biles withdrew from the competition.

Biles, the reigning all-around Olympic gold medalist and one of the faces of the American contingent in Japan, left the team final after a disappointing vault performance with what USA Gymnastics called “a medical issue.” Biles “will be assessed daily to determine medical clearance for future competitions,” the U.S. gymnastics governing body said.

Biles later told NBC’s “TODAY” she is “in shape” and feels “good” physically. She said she felt increased pressure as one of the most well-known athletes at the games.

“Emotionally, that kind of varies on the time and the moment,” she said. “You know, coming here to the Olympics and being the head star of the Olympics is not an easy feat, so we’re just trying to take it one day at a time, and we’ll see.”

The Russian Olympic Committee won the team gold medal with a score of 169.528. The U.S. claimed silver with a tally of 166.096, while Great Britain took the bronze at 164.096.

caltrek's comment: She may have failed to live up to the hype given to her by sports commentators, but any way you slice it, she has had an amazing career. I just hope the pressure didn't get to her, although physical injury would not be any fun either.

[caltrek]

More on SImon Biles,

Simone Biles withdraws at Tokyo Olympics
by Nancy Armour
July 27, 2021

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/o ... 383082001/

Extract:

"This Olympic Games, I wanted it to be for myself," said Biles, a four-time gold medalist in Rio.

"I came in and felt like I was still doing it for other people," she said, fighting back tears. "That just hurts my heart that doing what I love has been kind of taken away from me to please other people."
…
In warmups for vault, the U.S. women’s first event, Biles bailed on an Amanar. The 2½-twisting somersault is one of the most difficult vaults being done, but is so second-nature to Biles she could probably do it five minutes after getting out of bed.

When it came time for her to compete, she bailed out mid-air, doing only 1½ twists.

"I have to do what’s right for me and focus on my mental health and not jeopardize my health and well-being," Biles said. "That’s why I decided to take a step back."

caltrek: It is what I feared, she seems to have cracked under the pressure. I think a big culprit here is all of the advertising hype centered around Biles. That hyperbolic "law of gravity doe not apply to her" ad replaying constantly on TV. I'm sorry, she is Simon Biles, not Wonder Woman or Superwoman. Sure, no one was holding a gun to her head to accept the big ad bucks. Still, all of those corporate and advertising executives didn't have to make those presumably lucrative offers in the first pace. Anyway, that is my two cents.

[Yuli Ban]

[Yuli Ban]

More on SImon Biles,

Simone Biles withdraws at Tokyo Olympics
by Nancy Armour
July 27, 2021

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/o ... 383082001/

Extract:

"This Olympic Games, I wanted it to be for myself," said Biles, a four-time gold medalist in Rio.

"I came in and felt like I was still doing it for other people," she said, fighting back tears. "That just hurts my heart that doing what I love has been kind of taken away from me to please other people."
…
In warmups for vault, the U.S. women’s first event, Biles bailed on an Amanar. The 2½-twisting somersault is one of the most difficult vaults being done, but is so second-nature to Biles she could probably do it five minutes after getting out of bed.

When it came time for her to compete, she bailed out mid-air, doing only 1½ twists.

"I have to do what’s right for me and focus on my mental health and not jeopardize my health and well-being," Biles said. "That’s why I decided to take a step back."

caltrek: It is what I feared, she seems to have cracked under the pressure. I think a big culprit here is all of the advertising hype centered around Biles. That hyperbolic "law of gravity doe not apply to her" ad replaying constantly on TV. I'm sorry, she is Simon Biles, not Wonder Woman or Superwoman. Sure, no one was holding a gun to her head to accept the big ad bucks. Still, all of those corporate and advertising executives didn't have to make those presumably lucrative offers in the first pace. Anyway, that is my two cents.

Avoided this fate:

[caltrek]

Olympic Athletes See More Sponsorship Opportunities
by Hope King
July 29, 2021

https://www.axios.com/olympic-athlete-s ... e7aad.html

Introduction:

(Axios) Tokyo 2020 athletes are cashing in on more personal sponsorship opportunities compared with past Games.

Why it matters: Marketing deals are an important income stream for competitors, nearly 60% of whom say they are not financially stable.

What they’re saying: Restrictions "unfairly hinder Olympians' ability to monetize themselves at the peak of their marketability," Patrick Quinn, a 20-year sports marketing consultant and agent, tells Axios.

• From advertisers and media to agents and the service industry, a lot of money is made from the Olympics — but the people who have the hardest time making income from it are the athletes, he adds.

The big picture: In context of the seismic revamp of the NCAA's amateurism bylaws a few weeks ago, "there's no such thing as an amateur athlete anymore," says Quinn, who was an alternate on the Olympic luge team in 2006.

[caltrek]

Well, this (see below) shows how deep the talent pool is in the United States for female gymnastics:

U.S. Gymnast Suni Lee Wins Olympic Gold in Individual All-around

https://www.axios.com/suni-lee-gymnasti ... 4bff3.html

Introduction:

(Axios) U.S. gymnast Sunisa "Suni" Lee won Olympic gold on Thursday in the individual all-around event.

The big picture: Simone Biles, who withdrew from the event to focus on her mental health, cheered from the stands with the rest of the women's gymnastics team as they watched Lee and teammate Jade Carey compete. Brazil's Rebeca Andrade won the silver and Russian Angelina Melnikova took the bronze.

• Lee, a first-time Olympian, was among the top contenders heading into Thursday's event. She helped lead the squad to silver in the team event earlier this week.

• Lee made history this year as the first Hmong American to compete at the Olympic Games, Axios' Shawna Chen writes.

Edit: I had to refresh my memory concerning Hmong immigrants in the United States:

Hmong Americans (RPA: Hmoob Mes Kas, Pahawh Hmong: "𖬌𖬣𖬵 𖬉𖬲𖬦 𖬗𖬲") are Americans of Hmong ancestry. Most Hmong Americans are those that immigrated to the United States as refugees in the late 1970s, and their descendants. Some refugees fled Laos due to their cooperation (or perceived cooperation) with the United States' Central Intelligence Agency operatives in northern Laos during the Vietnam War.[3] Over half of the Laotian Hmong population left the country, or attempted to leave, in 1975, at the culmination of the war. About 90% of those who made it to refugee camps in Thailand were ultimately resettled in the United States. The rest, about 8 to 10%, resettled in countries including Canada, France, the Netherlands, and Australia. According to the 2010 US Census, the population count for Hmong Americans was 260,000.[4] Hmong Americans face disparities in healthcare, and socioeconomic challenges that lead to lower health literacy and median life expectancy, and per capita income.[5]

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hmong_Americans

There is (or at least was) actually a small community of Hmong that have taken up residence nearby to where I live. I have to admit, I have never interacted with them very much.

[Time_Traveller]

Team GB win triathlon relay as Jonny Brownlee ends jinx and finally gets gold

Sat 31 Jul 2021

The curse is over, the set complete. For nine long years, Jonny Brownlee has not dared touch his brother Alistair’s Olympic gold medals, because he feared it would jinx his own dream of reaching the highest step on the podium.

But on a sweaty and entrancing morning at the Odaiba Marine Park, Jonny finally bounded out of his brother’s shadow and into history as Team GB won the first Olympic triathlon mixed relay by 14 seconds from the United States, with France third.

“Olympics? Completed it,” Brownlee said, the gold glittering around his neck adding to his individual bronze from London 2012 and silver medal from Rio 2016. “It feels absolutely amazing. It’s my third Olympics and I’ve finally got gold.”

“It’s also the first ever mixed team relay in triathlon so we’ve made history in that too. It’s capped off my Olympic career amazingly.”

It was a thrilling race, with each athlete having to complete a 300m swim, 6.8km bike, and 2km run before tagging off to their next teammate, but Team GB were always in pole position.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/ ... laims-gold

[Time_Traveller]

Team GB smash world record to win Tokyo 4x100m mixed medley relay gold

Sat 31 Jul 2021

Another day and, incredible to say, another gold for Great Britain in the Olympic swimming pool. This one in the mixed 4x100m relay, which the quartet of Kathleen Dawson, Adam Peaty, James Guy and Anna Hopkin won in a new world record time of 3min 37.58sec.

It was Britain’s fourth swimming gold medal of the week, which is as many as the team won at the Olympics between 1988 and 2016, and their seventh swimming medal overall in Tokyo. The last time a Games went this well the men were wearing wool bodysuits and waxed moustaches, and the women weren’t allowed to compete at all. If they win one more medal on Sunday, it will be their most successful swimming Games ever.

It was the first time this mixed relay has featured on the Olympic programme, and the novelty made for an array of different approaches as each of the teams tried to figure out the best strategy. The USA, who looked the strongest team, were the only ones who put a man, Caeleb Dressel, on the final freestyle leg. It was asking a lot of him, given he had already won the 100m butterfly final in a world record time, as well as a 50m freestyle semi-final, earlier in the session. “GB,” he said afterwards, “that was insane.”

China, who came second, and bronze medallists Australia also picked swimmers who had been in action already that morning. The British had an advantage because their swimmers were all relatively fresh. It wasn’t an accident. Guy had been due to compete in the 100m butterfly alongside Dressel, but pulled out to concentrate on the relay. The decision paid off, because he turned in a split of 50sec dead, which put the team in first place, but it came at the cost of a shot at winning his first individual medal. If he had been able to replicate that kind of time from a standing start in the individual final, he would have won bronze.

“It did hurt pulling out from the butterfly,” Guy said, “but I made the compromise and I got a gold medal and a world record, so I’ll take that.” His sacrifice gave the team an edge their closest rivals did not have. It also vindicated the decision to leave out Duncan Scott, despite his red-hot form. “I’ve been racing with Jimmy for 10 years,” Peaty said, “and one of our biggest strengths is that we’ve got heritage, and brotherhood, that no other team has.” Peaty swam a barnstorming breaststroke leg of his own, in 56.78sec. He swept past the USA’s 17-year-old 100m champion Lydia Jacoby, who bravely ploughed on even though her goggles had come off.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/ ... relay-gold

[caltrek]

Will the Tokyo Olympics be a Superspreader Event?
by Dylan Scott
July 30, 2021

https://www.vox.com/coronavirus-covid19 ... ta-variant

Introduction:

(Vox) The Toyko Olympics appear unlikely to be a “superspreader” event, experts say — but that may be little comfort to people in Japan, where a combination of the delta variant and low vaccination rates is driving a new surge in Covid-19 cases.

Japan is currently living through its fifth wave since the start of the pandemic, while the Summer Olympics are finally being held after a one-year delay. The average number of daily new cases jumped from 1,400 in late June up to more than 5,700 as of July 29, nearly matching the previous peaks in May and January.

Those rising rates likely reflect a new wave of cases around the world, and in Asia especially, rather than anything specific to the Olympics. In fact, adjusted for population, Japan’s latest wave tracks quite closely with new cases across Asia. The infections currently being reported were also contracted up to two weeks ago, before the start of the Games, though personnel had begun to arrive.

caltrek's comment: I find the article to be fairly convincing as to the danger, or lack thereof, of holding the Olympics at this time in Tokyo. Still, I really can't blame locals for being alarmed about the dangers.

[Yuli Ban]

Japan's COVID-19 cases rise 87% during first week of Olymics

Halfway through the Summer Olympics in Japan, coronavirus cases are surging in the nation during a state of emergency though the outbreak is nowhere near as severe as other places as the world deal with a more contagious Delta variant.

Tokyo 2020 boss Toshiro Muto said at a news conference Sunday that the COVID-19 surge is not linked to the Games, which included 11,000 athletes representing 206 countries. The positivity rate is only 0.02% -- 72 out of around 350,000 tests through Friday, which includes participants and other stakeholders.

[caltrek]

Simone Biles' Temporary Exit Brings Global Attention to Mental Health
by Neal Rothschild
August 4, 2021

https://www.axios.com/simone-biles-ment ... 1a681.html

Introduction:

(Axios) Simone Biles' withdrawal from Olympics gymnastics events generated significant public interest in mental health, according to exclusive data from NewsWhip.

Why it matters: The Tokyo Games offered the ultimate platform for the topic to get global attention, with much of the world watching the same story.

Biles sparked a bigger conversation about mental health than either Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's interview with Oprah or Naomi Osaka's withdrawal from the French Open — both of which generated significant international interest.

By the numbers: In the week following Biles' withdrawal from the team event, stories about the gymnast and mental health generated more than 2 million social media interactions (likes, comments, shares) — 25% higher than Meghan and Harry in the days following their interview.

• Google searches about mental health spiked that day, hitting their highest level in more than two months.

caltrek's comment: Maybe it is just the generation to which I belong, but casting all of this as a "mental health" issue seems odd. After all, the problem seems to be Bile's ability to maintain her orientation while twisting around in mid-air. I can't even twist around in mid-air, let alone maintain my orientation while doing so. If it is a mental health issue, it is on the opposite end of the spectrum of such issues as I think of them. To me, a mental health issue is somebody that suffers from what we use to call a nervous break down, or somebody suffering from an addiction issue.

Maybe this change in thinking is positive. Maybe thinking of mental health as being along a spectrum helps us to understand that it is something that can always be improved, and that affects all of us.

[caltrek]

Olympic Athletes Excel at Their Sports but are Susceptible to Unproven Alternative Therapies
by Nicholas B. Tiller

https://theconversation.com/olympic-ath ... ies-165377

Introduction:

(The Conversation) Australian Olympic swimmer Kyle Chalmers earned a silver medal and his personal-best time in the 100-meter freestyle event at the 2021 Tokyo Games. While most of the world focused on his thrilling performance, others were equally interested in the conspicuous, circular bruises on his back and shoulders. Similar marks were seen on Michael Phelps in 2016 when he added six medals to his tally to cement his title as history’s most successful Olympian.

Those blemishes were the work of cupping, an alternative therapy in which small glass cups are placed on the skin at sites of injury or soreness, and used to create suction that stimulates “energy flow.” One form of cupping – wet cupping – involves piercing the skin to bleed the area and remove stagnant blood and toxins

As an exercise physiologist who studies critical thinking, I can’t help but wonder how an athlete’s unwitting endorsement of alternative therapy might influence the progression of a sport. This is because cupping is fairly characteristic of alternative therapy that, by definition, hasn’t been accepted by conventional science and medicine. When tested in controlled studies, cupping doesn’t work.

In fact, all alternative therapies exist on a spectrum, from treatments with some merit to scientifically disproven nonsense. And interventions like cupping, that masquerade as science without fulfilling its robust methodology, are known as pseudoscience.

Alternative therapies are rife in sport

When it comes to unproven alternative therapies, cupping is just the tip of the iceberg. Other such practices in sport include chiropractic spinal manipulation, nasal strips, hologram bracelets, oxygen drinks, reiki (healing hands), cryotherapy and kinesiology tape or K-tape.

[caltrek]

Tokyo Games Close with a Flourish
by Ina Fried
August 8, 2021

https://www.axios.com/tokyo-olympics-cl ... 1dcc7.html

Introduction:

(Axios) Tokyo — More than a year after they were set to begin, and 17 days after their delayed start, the Tokyo Olympics drew to an end on Sunday with the closing ceremony here at Olympic Stadium.

Why it matters: Although COVID-19 delayed the Games and left an indelible mark, organizers hope the Games have left a legacy beyond the disease.

Sunday's ceremony began with the raising of the Japanese flag and a flag parade featuring a single flag bearer from each country, followed by the entrance of some additional athletes.

• As with the opening ceremony and nearly all the events (with the exception of a few held outside Tokyo), there were no fans, with the stadium audience consisting only of athletes, officials, journalists, photographers and volunteers.

The big picture: The U.S. captured the most gold medals at the Tokyo Games, topping China on the final day thanks to victories in women's volleyball and basketball.

[caltrek]

Are There Limits to Human Performance?
by Anna Funk
August 7, 2021

https://www.inverse.com/science/olympic ... 21-science

Extract:

(Inverse) If you’ve been watching the Tokyo Olympics, you might assume the answer (to the question posed by the title of this article) is a resounding no.

In both the men’s and women’s 400-meter hurdles in Tokyo this week, even the silver medalists (Americans Dalilah Muhammad and Rai Benjamin) broke world records. Meanwhile, first-place Norwegian Karsten Warholm demolished the record (which he himself set a month earlier) by an astonishing 0.75 seconds.

…With just a few days left of this year’s games, Olympians in Tokyo have racked up 24 new world records. In 2016, athletes in Rio broke 27. In 2012 in London, it was 32. Beijing in 2008 brought 34. Athens in 2004 had 31. Can we keep this up?

…Even sports that seem straightforward benefit from new tech. The ropes that divide lanes in swimming pools now have anti-wave technology, and the depth and temperature of the pool has been perfected for optimal athlete performance. Pole vault poles switched from steel to fiberglass in the 1960s.

…After swimmers in Beijing wearing a Speedo LZR Racer suit (designed by NASA to reduce drag) won 94% of all races, 98% of all medals, and broke 23 world records, the suit was banned from competition.

[caltrek]

Olympic Hope Shines Through a COVID Surge
by Maya Mukherjee
August 5, 2021

https://www.motherjones.com/recharge/20 ... orruption/

Introduction:

(Mother Jones) Scrolling through my news feed this week, I saw a whole lot of grim headlines about COVID outbreaks, wildfires, and the federal eviction moratorium whose expiration, if not for a last-minute extension, would have been disastrous for already vulnerable tenants and deepened housing inequality. But there was a bright spot in the chaos for me: moments of solidarity and hope at the Olympics.

As an athlete heading into my junior year of high school, I’ve been watching the Olympics with a mix of relief and remorse: Simone Biles, undeniably gymnastics’ GOAT, pulled out of the finals and her teammate Jordan Chiles stepped up for her. What some viewers might not realize is that they’ve been best friends for years, with Biles acting as Chiles’ mentor. Three years ago, Chiles was close to pulling out entirely due to her fading passion for competition and the grind’s impact on her personal time and space. But Biles convinced her to leave an intense coach and train at Biles’ own gym, where coaches Cecile and Laurent Landi emphasize giving gymnasts rest to balance their strict workouts and lives outside the gym. Chiles quickly regained her love for it, and her comeback landed the team a silver medal. “I discovered that gymnastics doesn’t always have to be about strictness and being so hard on yourself and having so much doubt. I realized this when I saw Simone compete. She looks like she’s having fun out there…I was like, ‘You know, I’m going to try that one of these days and see how it turns out.’”

Intense competition also saw spirit-lifting friendship when two high jumpers agreed to share gold for the first time in history. After tying at 2.37 meters, instead of a jump-off, Gianmarco Tamberi and Mutaz Essa Barshim prized mutual respect. Solidifying their bond was the fact that they had survived similar injuries before the Olympics. “I respect all the high jumpers…but Mutaz passed through the same problem as me, and I know what it means to come back from that injury.”

[caltrek]

A Win for Puerto Ricans Everywhere
by Angela Bonila
August 6, 2021

https://www.latinorebels.com/2021/08/06 ... verywhere/

Introduction:

(Latino Rebels) If there is one fact that can never be questioned (ever) about Olympic gold medalist Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, it’s this: her historic win this week in the 100-meters hurdles is a win for Puerto Ricans everywhere—especially for Puerto Ricans like me who were born in the mainland United States.

We can and always will represent our parents’ island with pride and love.

That is what Camacho-Quinn has done for all of us.

Seeing her happiness on screen and the celebration tweets was an emotional moment. So were the videos of Camacho-Quinn’s family in South Carolina rooting for her, knowing she decided to run for Puerto Rico for her mom. Representing our small country was an incredible thing to watch as a Boricua.

[caltrek]

Tokyo Seeks Help Covering Huge Olympic Deficit
by Rihito Karube, Yuki Okado and Daisuke Maeda
August 11, 2021

https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14415572

Introduction:

(The Ashahi Shimbum) The Tokyo metropolitan government is set to enter a grueling post-Olympic competition: pressing the central government to help cover the deficit-filled tab for hosting the Summer Games during a pandemic.

The novel coronavirus not only ballooned costs to hold the Olympics while reducing revenues, but it has also hammered the finances of the metropolitan government, which says it no longer has enough money to foot the entire Olympic bill.

The decision to ban spectators from the events to prevent the spread of infections resulted in a loss of most of the 90 billion yen ($813 million) or so in ticket revenues.

Extra expenses also had to be paid for COVID-19 infection-prevention measures at the Games, including the “bubble” to separate athletes and officials from the general public.

Sources within the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee estimate several tens of billions of yen in total losses.

[Yuli Ban]

Incredible that 2020/2021 wound up actually being the "Apocalympics" we thought 2016 was going to be.

[caltrek]

Polish Olympian Auctions Off Medal to Pay for Baby's Heart Surgery
by Catherine Garcia
August 18, 2021

https://theweek.com/world/1003909/polis ... rt-surgery

Entire article (less photo of Maria Andrejczyk):

(The Week) She's only had her silver medal from the Tokyo Olympics for a few weeks, but Polish javelin thrower Maria Andrejczyk was prepared to part with it for a good cause.

Andrejczyk, 25, recently heard the story of Miłoszek Małysa, an 8-month-old from Poland in need of heart surgery. The baby's family needed money to cover the surgery and travel to the United States, and Andrejczyk, a bone cancer survivor, thought that if she auctioned off her medal, she could quickly get the amount necessary.

Żabka, a Polish convenience store chain, had the winning bid of $125,000, and Andrejczyk wrote on Facebook that her medal was "a symbol of struggle, faith, and pursuit of dreams despite many odds. I hope that for you it will be a symbol of the life we fought for together." In a surprise twist, the company tweeted on Monday that it was moved by Andrejczyk's "beautiful and extremely noble gesture," and they wanted the Olympian to keep her medal. Enough money has now been raised for Małysa to have his surgery,