An Olympics unlike any other
Having an Olympic Games during a global pandemic and with no spectators is a difficult scenario to conceive and the fact that the Games are taking place at all has divided opinions hugely, but The Olympics are a much loved and hugely anticipated, culturally significant global event, and they are also an essential part of the sporting ecosystem on which the very survival of many sports depends. There are of course human stories in delivering an event that fulfils the dreams of the competitors, who have trained so hard for years for the opportunity to compete but is it right that they are going ahead at all?
A dose of normal
We all need a large dose of normality to return to our lives having been forced into a very unnatural world order over the last 18 months. Most of us will be delighted to see some form of normality return, in spite of the obvious difficulties. Apart from two world wars, nothing in the history of the modern Olympic games has ever interrupted the event, until now. The global pandemic caused by the Covid-19 outbreak in early 2020 put paid to the original dates and the 32nd Summer Olympiad in Tokyo, Japan, have been rescheduled to take place over the next 3 weeks from this Friday, making for an unique occasion.
Citius, Altius, Fortius
The Latin motto of the Olympics translates to Quicker, Higher, Stronger which could very aptly describe the state of covid infections but hopefully we will see records and outstanding results in the sporting sense instead. The Games will have no spectators for the first time, as Japan is in a Covid state of emergency, the opening ceremony director has been sacked and some are still calling for the Games to be cancelled at this late stage but as much as the Olympics is about achieving the mottos, it wouldn’t be the same without some disaster, scandal or protest. Speaking of protest, some amusing dictats have emanated from the Mount Olympus hierarchy banning so called undesirable behaviour including sex and podium protests.. Knowing how athletes behave, I’d say - Good luck with that!
Never before have such pressures been placed on a host city and the legacy of this Games will be hugely challenging for the host city and country to overcome. We wish the country famous as land of the rising sun, for sushi, anime, ninjas and cherry blossom, and all the Japanese people a successful and problem free event.
Events to watch out for
There are a huge range of events to suit all tastes, and hopefully something for everyone but did you know that the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm held an event for sculpture… I’m not sure how you can fairly judge that!
There are a number of new or returning sports to the Olympic schedule including; surfing, rock-climbing, karate, softball and 3-on-3 basketball. Skateboarding is also a new event, in which Team GB representative, Sky Brown is set to become the youngest ever British Olympic competitor in any sport when she will be a mere 13 years and 11 days old when her competition starts, which is an amazing achievement.
My pick of events is the women’s track and field 100m, set to outdo the men’s event for interest and despite the absence of the American Sha’Carri Richardson (due to a ban for a positive test for marijuana!), Jamaican Olympic champions Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (2008, 2012) and Elaine Thompson-Herah (2016), the former chasing her 3rd Olympic title to match the feats of Usain Bolt, will line up against pride of Britain, Dinah Asher-Smith to see who is the world’s fastest woman (with our without a double-barrelled surname). The heats start on 30/07/21.
The Olympic Games are really about entertainment, lifting the human spirit, the peak of human sporting endeavour, personal stories of overcoming the highs and lows of life, but ultimately what comes naturally to us all, competition. Hopefully you will tune in to watch and enjoy the competitions, successes and failures, and all the drama unfold.
The author is a co-founder of FitFor, is a former UK Decathlon champion, and will be tuning in regularly in support