As the COVID-19 pandemic took the world by storm at the beginning of 2019 it affected a multitude of aspects of day to day life, that, maybe peculiarly, including sports. As gyms, parks and sports centres had to close due to the implemented restrictions, the lockdown period took its toll on grander events as well, postponing the XXXII Summer Olympic Games. Luckily, it did not last long, seeing that owing to the advancements made in creating vaccines and providing them to the public, the event returned to take place in Tokyo, Japan on July 23rd 2021!
This year’s edition, however, varied greatly from the ones held in the past. Complying with pandemic rules remained essential during the stay in the Olympic Village and all venues, as both the staff and athletes were being tested daily. The participants were not obliged to get vaccinated; nevertheless, around 80% of them were. Spectators, this time, had to get cosy on their sofas sipping a soft drink and munching on snacks at home, rather than loitering through a crowd to watch the game in the seats of the stadiums. However, the participants did not lack creativity and took to social media to connect with their fans. Athletes such as Ilona Maher, Leon Reid, Tom Daley, Cody Melph and many others over flooded TikTok and Instagram with amazing content about their Olympic Village gourmet lifestyle, showing that they are just as human and sometimes awkward as the rest of us are.
Tokyo 2020 Olympics Image
key moments
These Olympics did not end without leaving an astounding reputation for its endless firsts. A major highlight of Tokyo 2020 was Yulimar Rojas – a Venezuelan athlete establishing a new world record on women’s jump – she hit 15.67 meters in her final attempt, thus becoming the first female golden medallist from Venezuela. We cannot leave Hidilyn Diaz without warm appreciation – as she won the Philippines’s first-ever medal in Olympics by lifting 55 kilos! Another participant worth recognition is Australia’s Emma McKeon who established an impressive total of 8 new records in various swimming disciplines.
Apart from the spectacular outcomes, the key moments included also the participants less competition-related stories. For one, Tom Daley stole the internet’s hearts by showing knitting skills on the sidelines. Afterwards, he proudly shared his handmade collection of a medal cover and an Olympic themed sweater. Another athlete shocked the viewers by opting out of competing in few categories due to mental health struggles and a vault gone rogue. Simone Biles, who was awarded a total of 32 Olympic and World Championships medals, making her ex aequo one of the two most decorated gymnasts of all time. However, to the relief of her fans, she returned to the finals and even scored a bronze medal for her national team.
Spectators see the outcome and are blind to behind-the-scenes: shiny medals embellishing striking perseverance are displayed before the eyes of rapturous fans, while years of marked effort are nearly always concealed. Not this time, though.
Swiss-American Nikita Ducarroz dazzled her Instagram fans with a background story on fighting crippling anxiety. Her post says “Here I was trying to train for the biggest event of my life, sign with the biggest sponsor of my life and it was back to 13-year-old Nikita who couldn’t leave the house anymore. Daily panic, paranoia and the fear of “how do I continue to live like this?””
Ducarroz believes that introduction to BMX freestyle was a turnover in her life – not only did this eccentric sport help her to get out of the house, but also had a share in battling anxiety. She admits, though, that she still experiences severe panic attacks occasionally. We highly pray for her imminent recovery.
Overall Statistics
While the Summer Olympic program on average includes 28 games, this time, to the great excitement of viewers, an impressive number of 33 sports categories was represented. 339 medals embraced the most diligent and hardworking necks on the battlefield, where 11 656 athletes fought for grand recognition and unprecedented pride for their home countries, among those, 5 090 sportspeople representing European countries.
When it comes to awards, the leading country was the United States with 113 medals, which accounts for one-third of the total amount! Fascinating, isn’t it? Nevertheless, the US is not the only country deserving recognition for its achievements, but also, the 8 following:
China, with a total of 88 medals;
Russia with 71;
Great Britain with 65;
Japan strong with 58;
Australia with 46;
Italy with 40;
Germany with 37;
Netherlands with 36;
and France with 33;
Regardless of the outcome, all countries showed incredible involvement and talent, proving once again how many passionate and talented individuals there are on this planet.
Gulchin Aliyeva & Ola Paprocka
20/08/2021
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