The Nigeria women&#8217;s basketball team, known as D&#8217;Tigress, has made a historic leap at the Summer Olympics, becoming the first African basketball team, male or female, to qualify for the quarterfinals.



This achievement comes after a 79-70 victory over Canada at Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Paris.



The development complements D’Tigress’ first Olympic game victory in 20 years, marked by their 75-62 win against Australia in the first game.


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="708" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/GettyImages-2165226074.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-62662" style="width:666px;height:auto" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/GettyImages-2165226074.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/GettyImages-2165226074-300x207.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/GettyImages-2165226074-768x531.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Team Nigeria pose for a group photo during the Women&#8217;s Group Phase &#8211; (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>


The team, led by Rena Wakama, its first female head coach, has won four consecutive AfroBasket titles, securing the top spot on the continent.



&#8220;I hope young girls are watching this,&#8221; Wakama told the International Basketball Federation (FIBA). &#8220;I wanted to be the first, but I don&#8217;t want to be the last. If we invest in Africa, we are capable of doing really amazing things. We have to put some eyes on Africa and develop the game there, and it starts with grassroots. It will make the game so much better.&#8221;



For the quarterfinals, D&#8217;Tigress will square up with the United States, who have maintained an uninterrupted winning streak since 1996 and won nine of the last 12 Olympic titles.

Basketball – Olympic Games Paris 2024: Day 9

Nigeria’s Women Basketball Team Make History In Paris

Ten years on from winning a gold medal in the 10,000-meters at the World Junior Athletics Championships, Joshua Cheptegei has underlined his status as Uganda’s greatest ever athlete.



Cheptegei charged to victory at Paris 2024 in an Olympic record time of 26:43.14 to banish the ghosts of his silver medal in the event three years earlier in Tokyo that had haunted him since.



“I can’t describe the feeling. I’ve wanted this for a long time. When I took silver in Tokyo 2020, I was disappointed. I just wanted to win the 10,000m,” Cheptegei said after his record-breaking feat at the Stade de France.



It was a remarkable race in which the top 13 runners all came in under the previous Olympic record that had stood since 2008, the quick track making for an incredible spectacle.



Cheptegei won gold in the 5,000m in Tokyo but craved the 10,000m title and becomes the first-ever Ugandan to be Olympic champion in the longer distance.



He had lost out to Ethiopia’s Selemon Barega in Tokyo, but in a supremely quick race, the latter could only manage seventh in Paris.



Barega’s compatriot Berihu Aregawi claimed the silver medal this year, just 0.3 seconds behind Cheptegei after leading for large parts of the race before being hauled in at the end.



“We had a team strategy to push the pace and we showed great teamwork. I am very sad we did not achieve the gold medal as a team,” Aregawi said. “I was running for my country and I want to dedicate this silver medal to my country.”



Cheptegei is now Uganda’s undisputed Olympic king with three medals – two golds and a silver – and may not be done yet. He is also competing in the 5,000m, where he will seek to retain the title he won in Tokyo.



He is the world record holder with a time of 12:35.36 set four years ago, but not the quickest this year. That honor goes to Ethiopia’s Hagos Gebrhiwet in a time of 12:36.73 in May.



The 5,000m final will take place on Saturday.

Athletics – Olympic Games Paris 2024: Day 7

The First-Ever Ugandan To Be Olympic Champion In The Longer Distance – And He’s Not Done Yet

Africa’s only other medal so far has come from Egyptian fencer Mohamed El Sayed, who secured the bronze in the men&#8217;s epee individual event.



Swimmer Tatjana Smith has claimed Africa’s first gold medal at the Paris Olympic Games after a thrilling late surge in the women’s 100-meters breaststroke final took her to victory in a time of 1:05.28.



Smith, who won a silver medal in the event three years ago in Tokyo when she swam under the surname Schoenmaker, looked to be out of contention going into the final 20 meters, but edged China’s Tang Qianting (1:05.54) and Mona McSharry (1:05.59) from Ireland to the line.



An emotional Smith admitted it had been a difficult time since Tokyo, where she also won the gold medal in the 200-meters breaststroke, as she battled with her new-found fame and had considered giving up the sport.


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-2164264749.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-62587" style="width:580px;height:auto" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-2164264749.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-2164264749-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-2164264749-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Smith celebrates after winning gold in the Women’s 100m Breaststroke Final (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>


“It was a really tough three years. Just to be back here, swim and have fun, that is a blessing. To enjoy every moment has been special,” Smith told reporters.



“With all of these athletes, they work so hard and eat right, but it comes down to the mental side. Tokyo was such a blessing, the achievements, but it added a lot of expectation and pressure on me.



“I don’t want to swim to become famous, I swim because I love it so much. I had to deal with a lot of those things, everyone wanting a piece of you. That was hard, because I am a very introverted person. But it challenged my character and I have grown out of it.”



Smith will be looking to defend her title in the 200-meters breaststroke that gets underway on Wednesday and concludes on Thursday night.



Paris is becoming a special city for Smith and her family. Her change in surname came about when she married Joel Smith, the brother-in-law of Springbok captain Siya Kolisi.



The latter lifted the Rugby World Cup in Paris last year and now lives in the city, where he plays his club rugby for Racing 92.



The medal is South Africa’s third at the Games after the Rugby Sevens team won the bronze and Alan Hatherly did likewise in the men’s cross-country mountain bike race.



Africa’s only other medal so far has come from Egyptian fencer Mohamed El Sayed, who secured the bronze in the men&#8217;s epee individual event.

Swimming – Olympic Games Paris 2024: Day 3

‘Don’t Want To Swim To Become Famous’: Tatjana Smith Wins Africa’s First Gold In Paris Olympics

TOPLINE Tokyo 2020 has the <a href="https://www.outsports.com/olympics/2021/7/12/22565574/tokyo-summer-olympics-lgbtq-gay-athletes-list" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">highest</a> number of openly LGBTQ+ competitors ever, counting more out athletes than all previous Summer and Winter Olympic Games combined and featuring the first openly transgender and nonbinary athletes to participate.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



British diver Tom Daley won&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/jul/26/tom-daley-wins-olympic-diving-gold-at-last-in-synchronised-10m-platform" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">gold</a>&nbsp;in the men’s synchronized 10 meter platform and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/jul/26/tom-daley-overwhelmed-after-winning-olympic-gold-with-matty-lee-diving" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said</a>&nbsp;he felt “incredibly proud to say that I am a gay man and also an Olympic champion” after not believing he could “achieve anything because of who” he was as a child.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Skateboarder Alana Smith said they were “proud” of achieving their goal of being “a visual representation for humans like me” after being the first openly nonbinary person to represent Team USA.



The International Olympic Committee said it was&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/08/02/olympic-officials-face-off-over-protest-rules-as-us-backs-shot-putter-raven-saunders-in-podium-demonstration/?sh=4d25c21a4252">investigating</a>&nbsp;gay Team USA shot put silver medallist Raven Saunders after she raised her hands in a cross on the podium, a gesture she said was a “shout out” to Black people, the LGBTQ+ community and all people dealing with mental health.



Stefanie Dolson, who&nbsp;<a href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/2019/4/5/18327606/chicago-sky-center-stefanie-dolson-shares-her-coming-out-story-on-lgbtq-panel" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">came out publicly</a>&nbsp;in 2019, helped Team USA score gold in women’s 3&#215;3 basketball and at least&nbsp;<a href="https://www.outsports.com/olympics/2021/7/31/22603480/new-zealand-rugby-gold-olympics-tokyo-ruby-tui" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">four</a>&nbsp;of New Zealand’s gold-winning rugby sevens team are openly LGBTQ+.&nbsp;



<a href="https://www.gq.com/story/megan-rapinoe-sue-bird-march-modern-lovers-cover" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Engaged</a>&nbsp;soccer and basketball stars Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird, respectively, competed for Team USA in the Tokyo Games after they met during the Rio Olympics in 2016, a less complicated arrangement than American softball players Amanda Chidester and Anissa Urtez, who&nbsp;<a href="https://www.insider.com/softball-couple-competed-for-olympic-medals-2021-7" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">are one of the&nbsp;</a>only engaged or married couples to compete against one another at the Games.&nbsp;&nbsp;



New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard also made Olympic history as the first openly transgender women to compete in the Games,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2020-tokyo-olympics-sports-weightlifting-laurel-hubbard-e721827cdaf7299f47a9115a09c2a162" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">thanking</a>&nbsp;the International Weightlifting Federation for showing “that weightlifting is an activity that’s open to all of the people in the world.”&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">BIG NUMBER</h2>



182. That’s at least how many openly LGBTQ+ athletes there are competing at the Tokyo 2020 Games,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.outsports.com/olympics/2021/7/12/22565574/tokyo-summer-olympics-lgbtq-gay-athletes-list" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according</a>&nbsp;to&nbsp;Outsports. In&nbsp;<a href="https://www.outsports.com/2016/7/11/12133594/rio-olympics-teams-2016-gay-lgbt-athletes-record" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Rio</a>, there were 56. In&nbsp;<a href="https://www.outsports.com/2012/7/18/4053416/23-openly-gay-and-lesbian-athletes-at-2012-london-summer-olympics" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">London</a>, 23.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.outsports.com/olympics/2021/7/21/22583016/olympics-lgbtq-athlete-women-men-gay-tokyo-why" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">vast majority</a>&nbsp;of openly LGBTQ+ athletes are women, in line with broader&nbsp;<a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/07/21/1018404859/openly-gay-athletes-in-mens-pro-sports-few" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">trends</a>&nbsp;among elite athletes. Openly LGBTQ+ women outnumber out men at the Games by about nine to one and represent a far greater diversity of sports. There are more than 40 openly LGBTQ+ competitors in women’s soccer alone, a sport with no out men. The international nature of the Games shines a light on the barriers LGBTQ+ people around the world face. Many countries participating&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-43822234" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">criminalize</a>&nbsp;homosexuality and being&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamiewareham/2020/09/30/this-is-where-its-illegal-to-be-transgender-in-2020/?sh=68f4daf95748">transgender</a>—some with the death penalty or corporal punishment—and few permit same-sex marriage or allow people to legally change their gender. Beyond the law, many face discrimination, violence and prejudice for being who they are and for some athletes attending the Games can be a risk in itself. Tongan&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/tongan-olympic-swimmer-competing-medal-homophobia-rcna1502" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">swimmer</a>&nbsp;Amini Fonua, for example, is openly gay and represents a country where homosexuality can be punishable by a 10 year prison sentence. Other athletes—including Hubbard, Quinn, Smith and Daley—have been the subject of offensive and abusive&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-58029133" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">slurs</a>&nbsp;by pundits commenting on the Games around the world, as well as being&nbsp;<a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics/news/olympic-commentators-misgender-first-openly-nonbinary-athlete-b1892333.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">misgendered</a>&nbsp;on TV&nbsp;<a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/7kvdyy/alana-smith-quinn-non-binary-olympics-athletes-misgendered-pronouns" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">broadcasts</a>&nbsp;and on official&nbsp;<a href="https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/olympic-games/en/results/skateboarding/athlete-profile-n1342516-smith-alana.htm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Olympic</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/olympic-games/en/results/football/athlete-profile-n1469426-quinn.htm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">biographics</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tangent">TANGENT</h2>



In 2016,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/a-note-from-the-editors-1?source=twitter&amp;via=desktop" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Daily Beast</a>&nbsp;published an article that was accused of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-37058787" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">outing</a>&nbsp;a number of gay athletes at the Rio Games. TikTok and Twitter users have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.insider.com/olympics-tokyo-2021-tiktok-lgbt-gay-grindr-photos-endangering-athletes-2021-7" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reportedly</a>&nbsp;done the same in Tokyo. The 2022 soccer World Cup is set to be held in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/08/03/qatar-censorship-ignores-rights-fifa-rules" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Qatar</a>, a nation that punishes homosexuality by up to three years in prison. While Qatari officials have insisted everyone is welcome, the decision for Qatar to host was criticized by rights groups and there were calls in 2010 for then-FIFA boss Sepp Blatter to resign after he joked that gay fans and players should just “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2010/dec/14/fifa-boss-gay-fans-no-sex" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">refrain</a>” from sex during the tournament.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crucial-quote">CRUCIAL QUOTE</h3>



After winning his third Olympic medal in as many Games—and his first gold—27-year old Briton Tom Daley <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/jul/26/tom-daley-overwhelmed-after-winning-olympic-gold-with-matty-lee-diving" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">recalled</a> coming out in 2013. “I always felt like the one that was alone and different and didn’t fit,” he said. “There are more openly out athletes at these Olympic Games than any Olympic Games previously&#8230; I hope that any young LGBT person out there can see that no matter how alone you feel right now, you are not alone. You can achieve anything.”



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1303795054-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52057" width="622" height="415" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1303795054-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1303795054-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1303795054-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1303795054-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1303795054-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 622px) 100vw, 622px" /><figcaption>Megan Rapinoe #15 of the United States moves past Quinn #5 of Canada during a game between Canada and USWNT at Exploria Stadium on February 18, 2021 in Orlando City, Florida. (Photo by Brad Smith/ISI Photos/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1330670372-1024x701.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52059" width="602" height="412" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1330670372-1024x701.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1330670372-300x205.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1330670372-768x526.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1330670372-1536x1051.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1330670372-2048x1402.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 602px) 100vw, 602px" /><figcaption>TOKYO, JAPAN &#8211; JULY 26: Tom Daley of Team Great Britain poses with the gold medal during the medal presentation for the Men&#8217;s Synchronised 10m Platform Final on day three of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Tokyo Aquatics Centre on July 26, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1330627088-1024x682.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52058" width="608" height="404" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1330627088-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1330627088-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1330627088-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1330627088-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1330627088-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 608px) 100vw, 608px" /><figcaption>TOKYO, JAPAN &#8211; JULY 26: Alana Smith of Team United States reacts during the Women&#8217;s Street Prelims Heat 3 on day three of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Ariake Urban Sports Park on July 26, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234405905-1024x691.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52056" width="676" height="455" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234405905-1024x691.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234405905-300x202.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234405905-768x518.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234405905-1536x1037.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234405905-2048x1382.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 676px) 100vw, 676px" /><figcaption>-TOKYO,JAPAN August 2, 2021: New Zealands Laurel Hubbard, the first transgender Olympian, smiles to the small crowd after failing to advance in the womens 87kg weightlifting final at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. (Wally Skalij /Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1037922724.jpg-2-946x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52061" width="504" height="545" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1037922724.jpg-2-946x1024.jpg 946w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1037922724.jpg-2-277x300.jpg 277w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1037922724.jpg-2-768x831.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1037922724.jpg-2-1419x1536.jpg 1419w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1037922724.jpg-2-1892x2048.jpg 1892w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 504px) 100vw, 504px" /><figcaption>Dutch couple and equestrian competitors Hans Minderhoud and Edward Gal are competing together in the Tokyo 2020 Games PICTURE ALLIANCE VIA GETTY IMAGES</figcaption></figure></div>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-149380885-1024x721.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52053" width="582" height="409" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-149380885-1024x721.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-149380885-300x211.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-149380885-768x541.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-149380885-1536x1081.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-149380885-2048x1442.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 582px) 100vw, 582px" /><figcaption>LONDON, ENGLAND &#8211; JULY 27: Amini Fonua of the Tonga Olympic swimming team carries his country&#8217;s flag during the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium on July 27, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/07/30/here-are-the-first-openly-transgender-and-nonbinary-olympians-making-history-in-tokyo/?sh=69fd12aba9c8">Here Are The First Openly Transgender And Nonbinary Olympians Making History In Tokyo</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/08/02/laurel-hubbard-crashes-out-of-weightlifting-as-quinn-makes-soccer-final---here-are-the-first-openly-transgender-and-nonbinary-olympians-photos/?sh=70ecee005efa">Laurel Hubbard Crashes Out Of Weightlifting As Quinn Makes Soccer Final — Here Are The First Openly Transgender And Nonbinary Olympians (Photos)</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.outsports.com/olympics/2021/7/12/22565574/tokyo-summer-olympics-lgbtq-gay-athletes-list" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">At least 181 out LGBTQ athletes are at the Tokyo Summer Olympics, more than triple the number in Rio</a>&nbsp;(Outsports)



<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/jul/30/rainbow-olympics-tokyo-hailed-turning-point-lgbtq-athletes" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">‘Rainbow Olympics’: Tokyo hailed as turning point for LGBTQ+ athletes</a> (Guardian)



By Robert Hart, FORBES STAFF

Athletics – Olympics: Day 9

There Are More Openly LGBTQ+ Olympians At Tokyo 2020 Than All Other Games Combined — Here Are The Athletes Making Sporting History

TOPLINE Three foreign athletes residing in the Olympic village and 16 other people linked to the Tokyo Olympics have tested positive for Covid-19, the games’ organizers announced on Friday, marking a record daily rise in cases tied to the event just hours before the opening ceremony is scheduled to kick off.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h3>



According to the organizing committee, the three infected athletes include two from the Czech Republic and one from the Netherlands,&nbsp; who are now undergoing a 14-day period of isolation,&nbsp;Kyodo News&nbsp;<a href="https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/07/6d30a069f5aa-19-olympic-linked-covid-cases-reported-on-opening-ceremony-day.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>.



It’s unclear how many athletes have been identified as close contacts to the three positive cases, but they will not be required to enter isolation and will be allowed to compete if they test negative within six hours of the start of their events.



The 16 other people who tested positive include three contractors and three members of the media, the organizers said without offering additional details.



A total of 106 Covid-19 cases linked to the Olympics have been recorded since July 1, when the organizers started offering daily updates.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">BIG NUMBER</h3>



1,979. That’s the total number of Covid-19 cases&nbsp;<a href="https://stopcovid19.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>&nbsp;in Tokyo on Thursday, the highest daily count since mid-January. After flattening out last month, cases in Tokyo began to rise in July, forcing the Japanese government to impose a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2021/07/08/japan-declares-covid-emergency-in-tokyo-olympics-likely-to-have-no-fans-in-attendance/?sh=561896294e7c">state of emergency</a>&nbsp;in the national capital.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h3>



The steady rise in the number of cases linked to the Olympics has raised questions about the adequacy of the safety measures put in place for the mega event. Experts have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/olympic-village-covid-19-infection-bubble-already-broken-health-expert-2021-07-20/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">warned</a>&nbsp;that the Olympic’s Covid-19 bubble has already been breached and it could lead to a larger outbreak that may spill into the Japanese population. Visiting athletes participating in the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics are expected to follow a stringent set of pandemic-related rules which were&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/archive/2021/06/?sh=47defdb81f67">unveiled last month</a>. Under the rules, all participating athletes and officials will be screened for the virus daily and are required to provide saliva samples at set times. Athletes, who can only stay in officially approved accommodations, will have their movements restricted and will be subject to GPS tracking by officials.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h3>



<a href="https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/07/6d30a069f5aa-19-olympic-linked-covid-cases-reported-on-opening-ceremony-day.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">19 Olympic-linked COVID cases reported on opening ceremony day</a>&nbsp;(Kyodo News)



<a href="https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/olympic-village-covid-19-infection-bubble-already-broken-health-expert-2021-07-20/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Olympics-Athletes&#8217; village COVID-19 isolation bubble already &#8216;broken&#8217; &#8211; health expert</a> (Reuters)



By Siladitya Ray, Forbes Staff

Opening Ceremony – Olympics: Day 0

Nineteen New Olympic Covid-19 Cases Reported On Opening Ceremony Day Including Three Foreign Athletes

TOPLINE: In addition to the threat of Covid-19, athletes taking part in the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games will also face the dangers of extreme heat as soaring temperatures in the Japanese capital, spurred on by climate change, look set to make this year’s Games the hottest on record.&nbsp;



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h3>



This year’s summer Olympics are slated to be the among the hottest ever, with peak temperatures&nbsp;<a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2021/07/17/weather/olympics-heat-forecast-climate/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">predicted</a>&nbsp;to average around 30 degrees Celsius, or nearly 90 degrees Fahrenheit.&nbsp;



Combined with Tokyo’s stifling humidity, the dangerous conditions—which have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/jul/20/tokyo-olympics-fears-athletes-could-face-hottest-games-on-record?CMP=twt_a-world_b-gdnworld" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">prompted</a>&nbsp;multiple government notices warning residents against exercising outdoors—impair&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/57255563" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">performance</a>&nbsp;and put athletes at risk from heat-related conditions like heatstroke, dehydration and burns, with beach volleyball players already&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/burning-sand-and-35c-sun-promise-hottest-olympics-ever-zlt0q65n2" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">complaining</a>&nbsp;the sand is too hot to play on.&nbsp;



The issue was not unforeseen to organizers, who made the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/nov/01/2020-olympics-tokyo-accepts-painful-decision-to-move-marathon-to-sapporo" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">decision</a>&nbsp;to change event times and move marathon and walking events out of Tokyo in an attempt to avoid the heat, but is becoming a more pressing issue for all sports events as climate change drives temperatures up.



Outside of the Olympics, major&nbsp;<a href="https://inews.co.uk/sport/tennis/australian-open-2020-heat-rule-temperature-hot-melbourne-suspended-matches-383229" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">tennis</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/28075216" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">soccer</a>&nbsp;tournaments have had to put&nbsp;<a href="https://eu.usatoday.com/story/sports/tennis/2018/08/28/us-open-new-heat-rule-allows-players-10-minute-break/1123268002/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">policies</a>&nbsp;in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/about_wimbledon/heat_rule.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">place</a>&nbsp;to protect players from extreme heat, U.S. triathlons and horse races have been&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2019/07/19/heat-wave-prompts-cancellations-new-york-triathlon-horse-races/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">canceled</a>&nbsp;due to heatwaves and the world’s biggest sporting event, the soccer World Cup, will be held in climate-controlled&nbsp;<a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2019/11/21/football/qatar-2022-fifa-world-cup-spt-intl/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">stadia</a>&nbsp;to avoid the worst of host nation Qatar’s heat in 2022.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



The effects of climate change are not restricted to extreme heat: shortening winter seasons pose an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/56972369" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">existential threat&nbsp;</a>to snowsports, severe typhoons led to several 2019 Rugby World Cup matches to be&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/live/2019/oct/10/rugby-world-cup-tournament-japan-super-typhoon-hagibis-england-scotland-france-game-live" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">canceled</a>&nbsp;and smoke from wildfires has disrupted numerous outdoor events across the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-climatechange-sport-idUSKCN1UJ0OC" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">U.S.</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/1/15/21065784/australian-open-wildfire-smoke-health-effects-tennis" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Australia</a>.&nbsp;



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crucial-quote">CRUCIAL QUOTE</h3>



The International Olympic Committee told&nbsp;Forbes&nbsp;it “takes concerns about heat very seriously” and has taken a “wide range of measures” to mitigate the effect of temperature on athletes. These measures include scheduling longer distance athletics and cycling events later in the day, moving equestrian and triathlon events to early morning and improving access to shade and water.&nbsp;



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h3>



Tokyo’s Medical Association has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/jul/20/tokyo-olympics-fears-athletes-could-face-hottest-games-on-record?CMP=twt_a-world_b-gdnworld" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">stressed</a>&nbsp;that holding the games in July and August was “a serious issue even before the coronavirus pandemic” and a report by the British Association for Sustainable Sport&nbsp;<a href="https://basis.org.uk/rings-of-fire" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">outlined</a>&nbsp;the likelihood of impaired performance due to heat. Heat has already been an issue in the lead up to the event—three rowers were&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/aug/12/concerns-rise-with-tokyo-heat-after-rowers-treated-at-olympic-test-event" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">treated</a>&nbsp;for heat exhaustion after an Olympics test event in Tokyo in 2019—and other sporting events around the world are increasingly encountering similar problems. 28 out of 68 starters&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/49860159" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">pulled</a>&nbsp;out of a World Championships marathon held in Doha, Qatar in 2019 due to the conditions, with one runner being taken away in an ambulance. The race started at midnight in an attempt to avoid the worst of Qatar’s heat.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">BIG NUMBER</h3>



71,000. That’s how many people sought emergency care for heatstroke between June and September 2019 in Japan. 118 of these died. A smaller number—65,000 cases and 112 deaths—occurred during the same period in 2020, though fewer people were out due to the pandemic.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-to-watch-for">WHAT TO WATCH FOR&nbsp;</h3>



Qatar’s cooled stadia for the 2022 World Cup will likely give an insight into how outdoor sports events can be held in hot weather, especially if its cooling&nbsp;<a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2019/11/21/football/qatar-2022-fifa-world-cup-spt-intl/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">technology</a>&nbsp;is both ecologically friendly and effective. The event is set to be carbon&nbsp;<a href="https://www.euractiv.com/section/health-consumers/news/fifa-commits-to-carbon-neutral-2022-football-world-cup/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">neutral</a>, as are the forthcoming summer and winter Olympics’, the IOC told&nbsp;Forbes. Paris 2024 is&nbsp;<a href="https://olympics.com/ioc/news/paris-2024-commits-to-staging-climate-positive-olympic-and-paralympic-games" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">slated</a>&nbsp;to be the first “climate positive” games.&nbsp;&nbsp;



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h4>



<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/jul/20/tokyo-olympics-fears-athletes-could-face-hottest-games-on-record?CMP=twt_a-world_b-gdnworld" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tokyo Olympics: fears athletes could face hottest Games on record</a>&nbsp;(Guardian)



<a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-climatechange-sport-idUSKCN1UJ0OC" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Canceled races, fainting players: Climate change turns up heat on sports</a>&nbsp;(Reuters)



<a href="https://www.rapidtransition.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Playing_Against_The_Clock_FINAL.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Playing Against the Clock: Global Sport, the Climate Emergency and the Case For Rapid Change</a>&nbsp;(Rapid Transition Alliance)



By Robert Hart, Forbes Staff

Aerial view of Munich’s Olympic stadium illuminated at night

As Record Heat Threatens Tokyo Olympics, Here’s What Climate Change Means For Future Sporting Events

TOPLINE The organizers of the Tokyo Olympics on Wednesday announced that it will ban the sale of alcohol at venues and stringent rules that spectators attending the games will have to follow as Tokyo enters its final month of preparation before the games begin on July 23.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h3>



Seiko Hashimoto, the head of the Tokyo games’ organizing committee, told reporters that the organizers have decided to ban the sale of alcohol at games venues following “experts’ advice” and added that event sponsor Asahi Breweries agreed with the decision.



<a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/06/23/national/tokyo-olympics-alcohol-coronavirus/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">According to</a>&nbsp;Japan Times, the games’ organizers had been considering a plan to allow the sale of alcohol with some restrictions but the initial plan provoked public outcry in the country.



Spectators coming to venues will be required to wear masks and face temperature checks—attendees who display high temperature or any other Covid symptoms will not be allowed to enter and received no refunds.



Because of Japan’s summer heat, spectators will be allowed to remove their masks at outdoor venues if they can ensure there is a two-meter gap between them and other spectators, Kyodo News&nbsp;<a href="https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/06/3b3748b7440a-tokyo-marks-1-month-until-pandemic-hit-olympics.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>.



Inside the venue, spectators are barred from making direct contact with others, cheering loudly, giving high-fives, towel-waving or asking for autographs from athletes.



All attendees will be asked to retain their ticket stubs or ticketing data for at least two weeks after they attend an event as the organizers plan to post the seat number and date of attendance of any attendee who tests positive after the event.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crucial-quote">CRUCIAL QUOTE</h3>



“The festive mood will have to be suppressed—that has become a major challenge,” Hashimoto told reporters&nbsp;<a href="https://sports.ndtv.com/olympics-2020/no-booze-no-autographs-tokyo-2020-unveils-fan-rules-with-a-month-to-go-2470267" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according to</a>&nbsp;AFP. “People can feel joy in their hearts, but they can&#8217;t be loud, and they have to avoid crowds. Those are the areas where we need to be creative, and we are putting in a lot of effort to come up with a new way of celebrating.”



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tangent">TANGENT</h3>



Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike did not make a public appearance on Wednesday as she has taken a break from official duties and is resting&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/tokyo-governor-koike-taking-break-this-week-due-fatigue-nhk-2021-06-22/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">due to severe fatigue</a>. Citing sources Kyodo News reported she was admitted to hospital in the capital on Tuesday.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h3>



After weeks of speculation, the organizers Monday&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2021/06/21/domestic-spectators-can-attend-tokyo-olympics-attendance-to-be-capped-at-10000/?sh=2b784d306950">announced</a>&nbsp;that domestic fans will be allowed to attend events at the Tokyo Olympics, but venues will have a spectator limit of 10,000 or up to 50% of capacity to minimize the risk of spreading Covid-19. The decision came as Tokyo and several other Japanese regions exited their Covid state of emergency. However, the Japanese capital is expected to remain under a quasi-emergency state until July 11. The cap on attendance at the Olympic events mirrors the rules laid out by the Japanese government for all other large events like music concerts and local sports—although the serving of alcohol is allowed at these other events. Following the announcement, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide told reporters that if a new state of emergency is declared during the games due to the pandemic, the event may then have to take place behind closed doors. Suga’s sentiment was echoed by Koike, who said the organizers will revisit the decision and consider going forward without any spectators should there be a “major dramatic change in the infection situation.”



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h3>



<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tokyo-2020-tokyo-olympics-olympic-games-coronavirus-pandemic-lifestyle-b0c7951989b4b0b61ddde7f8ec9c8429" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tokyo shapes up to be No-Fun Olympics with many rules, tests</a>&nbsp;(Associated Press)



<a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/06/23/national/tokyo-olympics-alcohol-coronavirus/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tokyo Games organizers backtrack, banning alcohol at Olympic venues</a>&nbsp;(Japan Times)



<a href="https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/06/e6ab72f27ed6-feature-tokyo-olympic-chief-pins-hopes-on-smooth-opening-in-1-months-time.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tokyo Olympic chief pins hopes on smooth opening in 1 month&#8217;s time</a> (Kyodo News)



By Siladitya Ray, Forbes Staff

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Venue Tour

No Alcohol, No Autographs, No Cheers: Tokyo Olympics Organizers Unveil Rules For Spectators

Chad le Clos recently returned from the Commonwealth Games on Australia’s Gold Coast, where he grew his legend further with three gold medals, a silver and a bronze.
He has now set his sights on the World Swimming Championships in Hangzhou, China, in December, as well as the next Olympics in Tokyo in two years’ time, where he expects to face greater challengers as a new group of young swimmers emerge.
The 26-year-old’s favorite medal from the Commonwealth Games did not come from his individual haul of golds, but was rather the bronze he collected in the 4 x 100-meter medley race, which gives an insight into his psyche. Swimming is mostly an individual sport, but Le Clos is clearly a team player.
“Truthfully, the best race for me was the relay on the final day when we got the bronze,” Le Clos tells FORBES AFRICA.
<div id="attachment_36525" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-36525" class="wp-image-36525 size-large" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/GettyImages-628143522-1024x729.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="729" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/GettyImages-628143522-1024x729.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/GettyImages-628143522-300x214.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/GettyImages-628143522-600x427.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/GettyImages-628143522-768x547.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/GettyImages-628143522.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /> Chad le Clos is thinking of life outside of the pool and hoping to launch swimming academies across South Africa. Photo Provided.</div>
“We had guys that weren’t meant to be swimming in those events, they were specialists in other disciplines.
“Earlier, we had finished sixth or seventh [in the heats], so to touch in third ahead of Scotland in the final was amazing and it felt like a gold medal to me.
“It was really tough, but the guys put it together when it mattered and that makes it really special.”
Le Clos confirmed his status as South Africa’s premier athlete in the pool with golds in the 50-, 100- and 200-meter butterfly events, as well as a silver in the 100-meter freestyle.
“The butterfly treble was great because nobody has done that before and it was a big goal of mine. To win my third consecutive 200-meter butterfly gold was also very special as it means I have now been Commonwealth Games champion for eight years, which is a big achievement.
“So from a personal point of view I was happy with my individual achievements, though I also believe that we should have medalled in the 100-meter freestyle relay.
“But it was maybe not the team that should have gone, none were specialist 100-meter freestyle swimmers and although everybody did great times, it wasn’t enough, which was a big disappointment for me.”
Le Clos is already South Africa’s most decorated Olympian with a gold and three silver medals, a haul he is looking to add to in Tokyo, something he says will be increasingly difficult with a new generation of swimmers coming through.
“You can see them emerging and wonder how good they will be in two years,” Le Clos says.
“There is an 18-year-old Hungarian boy [Kristóf Milák] who is already just one second off the world record in the 200-meter butterfly. I think I will have to swim pretty close to the world record to get gold.
“But it is also exciting for world swimming and the sport. You need new stars and as an individual that pushes you to work even harder. It is a major source of motivation.”
Le Clos is no veteran, but he has already been in the South African swimming team for close to 10 years and is thinking of life outside of the pool with the recent launch of the Chad Le Clos Academy in his adopted hometown of Cape Town.
<a href="http://www.forbesafrica.com/focus/2015/03/01/swimming-against-the-tide/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">READ MORE: Swimming Against The Tide</a>
His dream is to have academies all over South Africa, as well as internationally, with five more planned to open before the end of the year.
“It has been a passion project of mine for the last five years and finally we have managed to get it off the ground,” he says.
“We want to start with kids as young as five years old, initially showing them how fun swimming can be before later on developing individual programs that will help them achieve their swimming goals.
“And those goals don’t have to be to make it to the Olympics. It might just be to swim for their school, or make it to the national finals. But obviously it is a dream of mine to develop boys and girls to swim for South Africa at the Olympics, that would just be unbelievable and something I would cherish for the rest of my life.”
Le Clos has helped develop the swimming program for the Academy, the first of which is based in Claremont in the Mother City, which he says is very different to how kids are traditionally trained in South Africa.
“I have always been of the opinion that we push kids too hard in their early years. So by the age of 17 or 18 they are burned out in the pool, or they have left the sport before then because it is all too much.
“The example I always use is if you have two boys, both aged 11, one is a swimmer and the other a rugby player.
“Traditionally, that swimmer would be in the pool doing 65 kilometers a week, the same training schedule as myself, Cameron van der Burgh or Tatjana Schoenmaker would do when we train for the Olympics.
<a href="http://www.forbesafrica.com/life/2015/08/01/how-far-would-you-swim-to-conquer-your-fear/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">READ MORE: How Far Would You Swim To Conquer Your Fear?</a>
“But you would not ask that 11-year-old rugby player to train against The Beast [Springbok Tendai Mtawarira], it would be madness.
“So it is all about pacing the training correctly to ensure that our swimmers peak at the right age and continue to have the love for swimming. They must want to get into that pool, not see it as a chore and something they dread.
“We also teach the kids respect for the sport and respect for their coaches, no matter what background they come from or how talented they are. That is very important to me.”
The ongoing drought in Cape Town has scuppered plans for a purpose-built facility for the first academy, but that will come, according to Le Clos.
“There has been an amazing response so far and it is the program that we will franchise out. Hopefully we will have another five opening in the next six months all over South Africa.
“We will be training the coaches according to our program, and the hope is to take it international, but for now we just want to have it running smoothly in South Africa first.”
Le Clos believes he has another “six or eight” years left to compete in the pool and hopes one day to perhaps have one of his pupils as a national teammate.
“I said to my Dad [Bert] the other day how it would be a dream of mine to walk a kid to the Olympics. It would mean so much to me. Maybe that will happen while I am still on the national team, and we swim together, wouldn’t that be something?”
&#8211; Nick Said

OMEGA House Rio 2016 – Day 10

More Olympians In South Africa’s Pools

The arduous chopping and grinding that has molded Olympians into shape may be over, but now the heat is being turned up. It’s an intense process that takes intuition, passion, technique, and persistent, but slight, adaptations to extract the last remaining drops of excellence from us. This is our final preparation.
The massive 30x100m sets thrown at us in the beginning have peeled away the unwanted layers, priming us for the imminent refining process. Getting to this level is not about the how, it’s about the why, because when the purpose is greater than the pain, anything is possible.
Most of what we do now is technique-driven, focusing on efficiency: every stroke we make needs to take us further faster and with less energy. Little surprises start popping up as we begin to see our times getting faster and we are constantly comparing the most recent race to the previous one. I’m still about five seconds off my world record time of 2.04.81 and if I am to get anywhere close to that again, every stroke, kick, and turn needs to be perfect. This process can be frustrating due to the continual failures but also the most rewarding, because when we add the perfect touch at the right time, we create magic. We can’t go through those enormous sets again as we need to focus – so our sets are condensed to somewhere around 8x100m. This allows every set to be scrutinized, consistently testing and adding pinches of change to get the perfect form.
The testing and competitions we go through are essential in bringing our bubbling nerves to a simmer. Our minds become clearer as the sensory impact of these ‘good nerves’ help sustain our focus. Overthinking is an unnecessary energy that can cloud our mind and create the potential for our nerves to boil over. “Did I do everything in my control,” is a common question among athletes and I came up with a method that uses four basic, yet not-so-easy, rules to follow: never skip practice; arrive early; do what the coach tells me; and leave late.
I have often been jeered and laughed at because this is the behavior of a ‘teacher’s pet’. I have learned to make sure that any noise like this dies down in the last few months of training. I become selfish. This is my time to marinate. A time when the perfect balance of everything we have worked on begins to slowly release and all the goodness needs to rise to the surface. Any major changes, pointless additions or negative stimulus will have an adverse effect on just how good this will be. The little surprises we start seeing elevate our confidence, clearing our mind from any negativity. Then it arrives, the time to trust that we’ll be rewarded for all the sweat we’ve poured into our work.
Every day has been about focusing on the Olympics but now, the night before an event, is the longest night; our thoughts begin to stir and the ‘bad nerves’ can set in. Athletes are extremely self-critical and we can generally handle this internal pressure. Tomorrow is different. We are about to be judged by the world. This external pressure is internally motivated and can allow self-doubt to build up. Athletes need to find a way of letting off steam: my coach has a list of jokes at hand and we talk a lot about nothing.
I don’t need an alarm clock to wake me up in the morning, an inner timer lets me know I am ready. We have breakfast. I’m not thinking about that. We get on the bus that takes us to the pool. I’m not thinking about that either. I know my coach is telling me jokes because we are both laughing. I know I need to walk to the starting blocks because an official escorts me there. I know the spectators are loud because I can see their excitement. I know I’m supposed to wave to them because they will be announcing my name. I hear nothing. My body instinctively explodes forward on the sound of the starter. I hear a single voice now. It’s the voice of my coach encouraging me forward, driving me harder and pushing me faster than I have ever been. This is when it all comes together, all the hard work, long hours, and tedious workouts. This is the moment when I can finally share my efforts with my friends, family and fans.

Tag: Olympians

FORBES AFRICA SOCIAL MEDIA