
<p>Zimbabwe’s Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation Kirsty Coventry is making an historic bid to lead the International Olympic Committee (IOC), hoping to become the first female president of the organization in its 130-year history.</p>



<p>Coventry, 41, is a decorated Olympian herself having won two gold medals, four silver and a bronze in backstroke and medley events in the pool, having shone at the Athens (2004) and Beijing (2008) Games. </p>



<p>It is the best medal haul of any Olympian from Africa, and since retirement she has turned to politics having been Zimbabwe’s sports minister since 2018.</p>



<p>That experience will come in handy as she bids for the presidency of the IOC, hoping to take over from incumbent Thomas Bach, whose term has come to an end, but she comes up against six strong candidates.</p>



<p>Englishman Sebastian Coe is the president of World Athletics, Juan Antonio Samaranch Salisachs from Spain is the current IOC vice-president, Morinari Watanabe from Japan is president of the International Gymnastics Federation, David Lappartient from France is president of the International Cycling Union, Johan Eliasch of England is president of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation; and Prince Feisal Al Hussein from Jordan is a member of the IOC executive board.</p>



<p>“I really felt it was time for Africa now, time for a woman and just time in general,” Coventry told Zimbabwe Sports Hub. “I think when you get to certain pathways in your career, you have to choose whether or not you are going to keep running the race, move forward or not.</p>



<p>“And for us, for me, for my family, for a lot of support that I have received from my African colleagues, from my IOC colleagues, everything felt like the time is now to throw my hat into the ring and again come back to being an athlete.”</p>



<p>Coventry does have experience of administration within the IOC, she was elected chairperson of the IOC Athletes&#8217; Commission, the body that represents all Olympic athletes worldwide, in 2018. She also serves on the IOC’s executive committee.</p>



<p>The election of a new president will take place at the 144th IOC Session in Athens, Greece, from March 18-21, 2025.</p>


IOC President Bach Brisbane 2032 Media Update

Time For Africa? Decorated Olympian And Zimbabwe Sports Minister In The Race For International Olympic Committee Presidency In 2025


<p><strong>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.</strong></p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>


<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>


<p>“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.</p>



<p>“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.</p>



<p>“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.”</p>



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



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>


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


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">Topline</h2>



<p>Olympics organizers have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2024/07/28/olympics-organizers-apologize-after-drag-queen-last-supper-slammed-by-conservatives/">apologized</a>&nbsp;for staging a scene during the opening ceremony that appeared to parody Leonardo Da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” with drag queens, after the scene sparked an uproar from some U.S. religious and conservative leaders and right-wing pundits, echoing protests in recent years against drag performances.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">Key Facts</h2>



<p>Late into the opening ceremony of the Paris Summer Olympics on Friday night, cameras cut to a long table overlooking the Seine River filled with drag stars appearing to resemble Jesus and the 12 apostles in Da Vinci’s fresco masterpiece (Paris Olympics ceremony director Thomas Jolly later told French outlet&nbsp;<a href="https://rmcsport.bfmtv.com/jeux-olympiques/ceremonie-d-ouverture-des-jo-thomas-jolly-et-daphne-burki-repondent-aux-critiques-de-jean-luc-melenchon_AV-202407280144.html" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">BFM TV</a>&nbsp;the scene was a nod to Greek mythology, and not “The Last Supper”).</p>



<p>Right-wing pundits and some lawmakers took to social media shortly after, questioning why the scene was included in the opening ceremony, with former CNN host Piers Morgan&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/piersmorgan/status/1817189903521976503" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">posting</a>: “Would they have mocked any other religion like this? Appalling decision.”</p>



<p>Donald Trump Jr. re-posted a photo of the depiction,&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/DonaldJTrumpJr/status/1817155924345139227" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">saying</a>, “They’re not even pretending anymore,” while billionaire SpaceX, Tesla and X owner Elon Musk called the parody “extremely disrespectful to Christians” in a&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1816948075174203771" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">post</a>&nbsp;on his social media platform.</p>



<p>On Saturday, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., <a href="https://x.com/SpeakerJohnson/status/1817229481972473922" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">blasted the scene</a>, calling it “shocking and insulting to Christian people around the world.”</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">JUST IN: Telecommunications company C Spire has removed all advertising from the Olympics after they mocked Christianity in their opening ceremony.<br><br>C Spire is the sixth-largest wireless provider in the United States.<br><br>&quot;We were shocked by the mockery of the Last Supper during the… <a href="https://t.co/FHnivRD1z1">pic.twitter.com/FHnivRD1z1</a></p>&mdash; Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) <a href="https://twitter.com/CollinRugg/status/1817286135581933676?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 27, 2024</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div></figure>



<p>Actor and comedian Rob Schneider said he would boycott watching the Olympics, arguing in a&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/RobSchneider/status/1817636079526383634" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">post</a>&nbsp;on X, formerly known as Twitter, the scene “disrespects Christianity and openly celebrates Satan,” while “Full House” star Candace Cameron Bure slammed the parody in an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C9891rPRYEm/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;ig_rid=d66987b6-2559-4a6d-b317-94a06c9c08d7" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Instagram</a>&nbsp;post, saying it “mock[d] the Christian faith,” saying it made her “sad for souls.”</p>



<p>Former Trump attorney Jenna Ellis also&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/realJennaEllis/status/1816936347275231671" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">criticized</a>&nbsp;the move as “[o]vert pagan and satanic symbolism,” and Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker—who&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesfarrell/2024/05/15/heres-harrison-butkers-controversial-commencement-speech-in-full/">sparked controversy</a>&nbsp;by suggesting women should focus on being mothers —called the parody “crazy” in a story on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/buttkicker7/?hl=en" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Instagram</a>.</p>



<p>Some Christian bishops also bemoaned the parody: Minnesota Bishop Robert Barron, a prominent U.S. Catholic leader,&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/BishopBarron/status/1816989733504860577" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">called it</a>&nbsp;a “gross mockery” and emblematic of a “deeply secularist postmodern society,” while Wisconsin-based Bishop Donald Hying&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/bishophying/status/1817013215710114236" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">slammed</a>&nbsp;it as “blasphemy,” and Texas-based Bishop Daniel Flores&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/bpdflores/status/1816971295579337188" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">posted</a>: “the agendas just use the athletes; they deserve more respect. So do people of Christian Faith.”</p>



<p>The parody also drew backlash from conservative commentators, with&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/LibertyLockPod/status/1816938415822159951" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">one</a>&nbsp;arguing the scene was a message to Christians that they are “NOT WELCOME,” and another claiming the Olympics have “gone full Woke dystopian,” while also&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/kylenabecker/status/1816977236085416353" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">arguing</a>&nbsp;the depiction of a white horse carrying the Olympic flag was a reference to the pale horse, a sign of death in the Book of Revelation, the last book in the Bible.</p>



<p>Right-wing filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza—whose 2022 conspiracy documentary “2000 Mules” laid out a far-right claim the 2020 election was stolen from former President Donald Trump—<a href="https://x.com/DineshDSouza/status/1817213585581330607" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">called</a>&nbsp;the “Last Supper” parody “blasphemous,” saying: “Outrageous and disrespectful doesn’t begin to cover it.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-contra">Contra</h2>



<p>Many on social media platforms were&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/kevinmyoung/status/1817045800335093863" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">quick</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/Eve_Barlow/status/1817193910688719273" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">to</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/lesterkk/status/1817172582249922856" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">point out</a>&nbsp;the Olympics rendition of “The Last Supper” was far from the first parody of the Da Vinci painting, a frequent target of satire, with more recent examples used by TV shows such as “The Simpsons,” “Billions” and “The Sopranos,” and with celebrities portraying the role of Jesus, from Freddie Mercury to Marilyn Monroe.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">Key Background</h2>



<p>Drag queens became the target of right-wing criticism in recent years, coinciding with right-wing pushback against companies that have embraced LGBTQ messaging, and as some GOP-led states push for <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2024/05/10/trump-promises-rollback-on-trans-rights-heres-what-hes-said/">anti-trans legislation</a>, including bans on trans students in locker rooms and bathrooms that align with their gender identities. Right-wing protests against drag have come partly in response to a series of so-called <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2023/02/03/how-drag-queens-became-a-right-wing-target-from-alex-jones-to-tucker-carlsonwith-these-states-trying-to-ban-story-hours-and-shows/">Drag Story Hour</a> events, with some GOP lawmakers baselessly claiming the events sexualize children, and House Republicans <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/anti-drag-queen-story-hour-bill-republicans-target-lessons-2022-10" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">introduced</a> the “Stop the Sexualization of Children” act in 2022. The Anti-Defamation League later <a href="https://www.adl.org/resources/blog/what-grooming-truth-behind-dangerous-bigoted-lie-targeting-lgbtq-community" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said</a> those claims of “grooming children” are baseless and “bigoted.” But protests around the story hour events persisted, leading to the cancellation of some events, including a 2022 event in San Francisco disrupted by the far-right Proud Boys.</p>


Opening Ceremony – Olympic Games Paris 2024: Day 0

Olympics Drag Queen ‘Last Supper’ Sparks Outrage From Musk, Rob Schneider, GOP Pundits


<p>Senegalese and other Africans are anticipating the first-ever Youth Olympic Games to be hosted on the continent in 2026, in Dakar, the capital of Senegal.</p>



<p>Rescheduled for October 31 to November 13, 2026, the proposed games is set to bring together the world&#8217;s finest young athletes to compete in 35 different sports over a span of 14 days.</p>



<p>In place of the 2022 event, the Dakar en Jeux (Dakar in Games) festival was held from October 29 to November 5, the originally planned Dakar 2022 period, across the three host cities of Dakar, Diamniadio, and Saly.</p>



<p>Since then, Dakar en Jeux has become an annual celebration of sport and culture, serving as a precursor to Dakar 2026 while encouraging increased youth engagement in sports.</p>



<p>International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach has in news reports expressed his support for Senegal&#8217;s hosting of the Youth Olympic Games, noting Africa&#8217;s unity and its sporting culture. &#8220;With a young population and a passion for sport, it is time for Africa, it is time for Senegal,” he has noted.</p>



<p>During his visit to Senegal in 2022, disclosing his anticipation for the event, Bach said: “We cannot wait for the moment to be back here and to enjoy this first Olympic event on African soil, an event for Africa, with Africa, that will welcome the youth of the world in Senegal. We can expect a festival of excellence in sport, of African culture, the joy of living and the wonderful hospitality of the African people.”</p>



<p>Senegal-based sports analyst Rufai Shuaib considers the event to be of historic significance.</p>



<p>&#8220;This is a monumental moment for African sports. The hosting of the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar represents a major milestone in showcasing the immense talent and potential of our young athletes on a global platform,&#8221; Shuaib tells FORBES AFRICA.</p>



<p>Shuaib opines that &#8220;the games will contribute to the development of sports infrastructure and opportunities across the region&#8221;.</p>



<p>He adds that the event has the potential to promote youth empowerment and catalyze socio-economic growth. &#8220;This is a golden opportunity for Africa to shine and demonstrate its capabilities on the world stage.&#8221;</p>



<p>&#8220;The Games symbolize Africa&#8217;s rising prominence in the global sports arena and signify a new chapter in our continent&#8217;s sporting journey,&#8221; says Shuaib.</p>



<p>For Nigerian analyst Kolawole Oyebola, Dakar 2026 presents an opportunity to boost tourism and stimulate economic growth.</p>



<p>Oyebola tells FORBES AFRICA: &#8220;This is another opportunity for Africa to show its ability to host large-scale international events. It will enhance Senegal&#8217;s global standing and the rest of the continent.&#8221;</p>



<p>The economic benefits, according to Oyebola, are multifaceted, as he points out, &#8220;The influx of visitors, athletes, and officials will create an increase in demand for accommodation, dining, transportation, and various services, providing a significant boost to local businesses and industries.&#8221;</p>



<p>He adds, &#8220;The exposure generated by the event will attract future investments and promote long-term sustainable development across the continent.&#8221;</p>



<p>However, Oyebola also highlights the importance of strategic planning and infrastructure development to maximize the economic impact. He cautions, &#8220;While the Youth Olympic Games present immense opportunities, adequate infrastructure and logistical support are crucial to ensure smooth operations and capitalize on the event&#8217;s potential.&#8221;</p>


Participants engaging in an activity as part of Dakar en Jeux; photo courtesy IOC, Margot Mendes

‘Monumental Moment For African Sports’: On Dakar Debut Of The Youth Olympic Games In 2026


<p><strong>TOPLINE</strong> The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will not pressure China over its human rights record ahead of the Beijing 2022 Winter Games, a senior official said on Wednesday even as several human rights groups and some U.S. lawmakers have called for a boycott of the games over the Chinese government’s treatment of Uyghurs and its crackdown on Hong Kong.</p>



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



<p>While addressing the press in Australia, IOC vice president John Coates said confronting a sovereign nation on human rights issues was not within the committee’s remit.</p>



<p>Coates said that IOC’s remit was only limited to ensuring that no human rights abuses take place in respect to the conduct of the Games within the national Olympic committees or “within the Olympic movement.”</p>



<p>He further added that the IOC has no ability to go into any country and tell them what to do and all it can do is ensure that the conditions set out in a host contract are followed.</p>



<p>When asked about the IOC’s decision to intervene in Afghanistan—where the body said it helped around 100 members of the “Olympic community” leave the country on humanitarian visas—Coates insisted that was within the committee’s remit.</p>



<p>Coates also said he did not see any point in any country boycotting the games as such moves in the past had achieved nothing.</p>



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



<p>In May, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called for a diplomatic boycott of the upcoming Winter Games which means no official delegation would be sent to Beijing while athletes are still allowed to compete. Dominic Raab, the British deputy prime minister, has also indicated he will not attend the games even though his instinct is to “separate sport from diplomacy and politics.” Earlier this year, several western nations, including the U.S., U.K., Canada and the European Union,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-56487162" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">imposed sanctions</a>&nbsp;on Beijing for alleged human rights abuses in Xinjiang. China has been accused of detaining the region’s mostly Muslim Uighur residents in camps where they reportedly face torture, forced labor and sexual abuse according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/11/16/world/asia/china-xinjiang-documents.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">leaked documents</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://xjdp.aspi.org.au/explainers/exploring-xinjiangs-detention-facilities/#" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">satellite images</a>. Beijing has also come under fire for its ongoing crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/2021/10/14/beijing-winter-olympics-ioc-china/?utm_campaign=wp_main&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Olympic officials won’t push China on human rights ahead of Beijing Games, as calls for boycott grow louder</a>&nbsp;(Washington Post)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-10-13/john-coates-ioc-rules-out-pressure-on-china-over-human-rights/100536494" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">John Coates rules out IOC pressuring China over human rights ahead of Beijing Winter Olympics</a> (ABC News)</p>



<p><strong><em>By Siladitya Ray, Forbes Staff</em></strong></p>


Tokyo 2020 Olympic Venue Tour

Olympic Committee Won’t Confront China Over Human Rights Despite Calls For Beijing 2022 Boycott


<p><strong>TOPLINE</strong> One person involved in the Tokyo Paralympics has been hospitalized with Covid-19, the games’ organizing committee announced on Thursday, an incident that takes place amid Japan’s worst surge in infections since the start of the pandemic which has severely strained its medical resources.</p>



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



<p><a href="https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/08/6671facb7488-tokyo-paralympics-confirm-1st-covid-19-hospitalization.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">According to</a>&nbsp;the games’ organizing committee, the hospitalized individual was a foreign individual but not an athlete.</p>



<p>The patient is not displaying severe symptoms, organizing committee spokesperson Masanori Takaya added.</p>



<p>The organizers also reported 15 new Covid-19 cases linked to the games, including two athletes residing in the Games village.</p>



<p>Since the start of the games on Tuesday, at least&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/aug/26/paralympics-first-tokyo-games-participant-in-hospital-with-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">five Paralympians</a>&nbsp;have tested positive for Covid-19.</p>



<p>The event featuring over 4,400 athletes is taking place at a time when Japan witnesses its worst Covid-19 outbreak, fueled by the more infectious delta variant.</p>



<p><a href="https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/08/6671facb7488-tokyo-paralympics-confirm-1st-covid-19-hospitalization.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">According to</a>&nbsp;<em>Kyodo News</em>, health experts have warned that the country’s medical system is close to a breaking point with hospital beds becoming scarcer.</p>



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



<p>184. That’s the total number Covid-19 cases that have been linked to the Tokyo Paralympics since August 12,&nbsp;<em>Kyodo News</em>&nbsp;reports.</p>



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



<p>Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and the International Olympic Committee (IOC)&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dw.com/en/japans-pm-olympics-have-not-caused-covid-19-spike/av-58788340" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">claimed</a>&nbsp;that the Olympic games, which ended earlier this month, did not aggravate Tokyo’s Covid outbreak. But health officials remained skeptical and tensions between them and the games’ organizers have remained high. The latest controversy has emerged around IOC chief Thomas Bach’s decision to fly back into Japan to attend the opening ceremony of the Paralympics. Bach, who left Japan on Wednesday night, was&nbsp;<a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/08/25/national/omi-bach-tokyo-return-criticism/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">criticized</a>&nbsp;by the country’s top Covid-19 advisor Shigeru Omi. Omi said Bach&#8217;s decision to briefly return to Japan ran counter to “common sense” as Covid infections continue to rise in the country. In response, the International Paralympic Committee said that Bach was invited by them to attend and his itinerary was approved by the Japanese government.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<p><a href="https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/08/6671facb7488-tokyo-paralympics-confirm-1st-covid-19-hospitalization.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tokyo Paralympics confirm 1st COVID-19 hospitalization</a>&nbsp;(Kyodo News)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/aug/26/paralympics-first-tokyo-games-participant-in-hospital-with-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Paralympics: first Tokyo Games participant in hospital with Covid-19</a> (The Guardian)</p>



<p><strong><em>By Siladitya Ray, Forbes Staff</em></strong></p>


Paralympics – Opening Ceremony

Tokyo Paralympics Reports First Covid-19 Hospitalization


<p><strong>A number of Africa’s finest sportsmen and women failed to make the Tokyo Olympic Games for a variety of reasons that in the most part had little to do with performance.</strong></p>



<p class="has-text-align-center"><strong><em>By Nick Said</em></strong></p>



<p class="has-drop-cap">The Tokyo Olympic Games were for some athletes the pinnacle of their career and a stage for outstanding achievements, but for others, the Japan National Stadium (the venue of the Games) will always represent a field of broken dreams.</p>



<p>A number of Africa’s finest sportsmen and women failed to make it to the Games, which was held from July 23 to August 8 in Tokyo, for a variety of reasons that in the most part had little to do with performance.</p>



<p>Amidst the ecstasy of winning a gold medal, there is always equal pain being felt elsewhere, leaving some of the continent’s top stars at a crossroads in their hugely successful careers. </p>



<p>The most high-profile of these is two-time former 800-metersOlympics champion Caster Semenya, who failed in her bid to qualify for the Games in the 5,000-meters, having been forced into the longer distance by World Athletics’ regulations for athletes with Differences in Sexual Development (DSD) who wish to compete in races from 400-meters to a mile.</p>



<p>Athletes such as Semenya, Francine Niyonsaba from Burundi and Kenya’s Margaret Wambui, were forced into the sporting wilderness in their chosen distance in a ruling described by Come Damien Georges Awoumou, minister- counsellor at the Cameroon mission to the United Nations, as having the “same effect as apartheid, one of the international crimes against humanity”, which he said at a special debate on sports and human rights at the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva.</p>



<p>The latest to fall foul of the regulations were Namibian teenagers Christine Mboma and Beatrice Masilingi, who were in blistering form in the 400-meters ahead of the games and seen as genuine medal contenders until World Athletics barred them from competing over that distance. Semenya is taking the fight, not just for herself, but all DSD athletes with naturally high levels of testosterone, to the European Court of Human Rights, who are likely to make a ruling later this year on whether the regulations should be suspended.</p>



<p>She has not given up on competing at the 2024 Olympics in Paris and there will be many other athletes from the global south hoping she wins.</p>



<p>“The ban doesn’t make sense at all. But hey, that’s none of my business. I’ll leave it up to the right people<br>to handle the situation, I’ll keep fighting for my rights,” Semenya said in June to Belgian television after finishing fourth in a 5,000-meter race in Liège, Belgium.</p>



<p>“Of course I hope the rule changes. I’m an 800-meters runner. There’s no doubt about that. I keep hoping that I can run my preferred number (distance). But right now my focus is on being healthy. To be an inspiration for young athletes. I will continue to fight for my rights.”</p>



<p>Says a spokesperson at World Athletics: “For many years, World Athletics has fought for and defended equal rights and opportunities for all women and girls in our sport today and in the future. Throughout this long battle, World Athletics has always maintained that its regulations are lawful and legitimate, and that they represent a reasonable, necessary and proportionate means of ensuring the rights of all female athletes to participate on fair and equal terms. It has rejected the suggestion that they infringe any athlete’s human rights, including the right to dignity and the right to bodily integrity.”</p>



<p>Kenya’s David Rudisha, regarded as the greatest 800-meters runner in history and a double-Olympic champion in 2012 and 2016, missed the Tokyo Games after a succession of injury setbacks.</p>



<p>He was desperate to compete but had not run since 2017 following ankle, leg and back injuries, as well as a serious car accident in which his SUV was written off when he collided head-on with a bus in Nairobi.</p>



<p>His race to be fit and in shape to fight for a gold medal was hampered, in part, by the Covid-19 pandemic, which meant limited training and competition.</p>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-style-large is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"><p>Covid-19 ruled Nigerian basketball star Michael Eric out of the Games after he admitted to battling with the after- effects of the virus.</p></blockquote>



<p>Two of Kenya’s other current greats were also high- profile absentees as world 1,500-meters champion Timothy Cheruiyot and 2016 Olympic 3000-meters steeplechase winner Conseslus Kipruto both failed to make the team.</p>



<p>At the Kenyan trials, Cheruiyot, who had not finished worse than second in any race for four years, was passed down the final straight and finished fourth to drop out of contention.</p>



<p>Kipruto won the World Championship titles in 2017 and 2019, but soon after the second of those wins, was reportedly charged with sexual assault and has entered just three races since, without finishing any of them. Neither have commented on their futures.</p>



<p>South African long-jump silver medalist from the 2016 Games, Luvo Manyonga, a self-confessed former methamphetamine addict who missed the 2012 Olympics because of an 18-month drugs ban, cleaned up his act to be one of South Africa’s stars at the Games in Rio de Janeiro five years ago. But he was handed a four-year ban by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) in June after missing three scheduled drugs tests having not provided details of his whereabouts as required by the AIU.</p>



<p>Covid-19 ruled Nigerian basketball star Michael Eric out of the Games after he admitted to battling with the after- effects of the virus, saying “my health and physical shape went through a traumatic experience”. It shone a spotlight on the effects the virus has on athletes’ bodies, and how it is not just performance that can suffer, but confidence too.</p>



<p>And then there were some who were simply not released by their employers to compete – among the most high-profile of these being Liverpool and Egypt striker Mo Salah.</p>



<p>He was desperate to feature at the Games, but Liverpool reportedly refused to allow him to travel as it would have meant a disrupted pre-season and start to the new English Premier League campaign.</p>



<p></p>


Ian MacNicol Archive

If Not Tokyo, Then Paris 2024?


<p><strong>TOPLINE</strong> 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.</p>



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



<p>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;</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>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;</p>



<p><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;</p>



<p>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;</p>



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



<p>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;<em>Outsports</em>. 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;</p>



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



<p>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>.</p>



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



<p>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"><em>The Daily Beast</em></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;</p>



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



<p>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.”</p>



<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 <small>PICTURE ALLIANCE VIA GETTY IMAGES</small></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>



<p><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)</p>



<p><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)</p>



<p><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)</p>



<p><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)</p>



<p><strong><em>By Robert Hart, FORBES STAFF</em></strong></p>


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


<p><strong>South Africa’s Tatjana Schoenmaker won gold at the Olympics in Tokyo on Friday, setting the tone for Uganda and Ethiopia following on the leader board. With more events still to unfold, there is still room for strong showings.</strong></p>



<p class="has-drop-cap">South Africa’s Tatjana Schoenmaker brought home the continent’s first gold medal on Friday, in the process smashing the world record for the women’s 200m breaststroke, with a finishing time of 2:18.95.</p>



<p>The 24-year old became the first female South African swimmer to win gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in a quarter of a century, delivering a supreme performance to finish ahead of America’s Lilly King and Annie Lazor.<br><br>Emotional at her victory, Schoenmaker was still in the water when she saw the scoreboards indicate she had set a new world record, and shrieked with delight before being congratulated by her rivals, and earning her second medal for the games so far after having won the silver in the women’s 100m breaststroke earlier in the week.<br><br>Schoenmaker received a surprise congratulatory phone call from South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday after her victory. Given the tumultuous few weeks the country has seen, the president had some supportive and unifying words for the swimmer, who was strongly celebrated back home.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="736" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1331501475-1024x736.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52007" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1331501475-1024x736.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1331501475-300x216.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1331501475-768x552.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1331501475-1536x1104.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1331501475-2048x1472.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption>TOKYO, JAPAN &#8211; JULY 30: Gold Medalist Tatjana Schoenmaker of South Africa during the medal ceremony of the 200m Breaststroke final on day seven of the swimming competition of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Tokyo Aquatics Centre on July 30, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>



<p><br>“You have lifted the country,” said Ramaphosa in a recording of the clip released by the Presidency, “Thank you so much. It was just unbelievable. You have done this for the country and for yourself and we honour you &#8230; we are really delighted to have seen this unbelievable performance.&#8221;<br><br>South Africa leads the continent’s medals at the games so far, which has seen Ethiopia’s Selemon Berega win gold for the men’s 10,000m, and Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei set world records in three different events at the games so far. South Africa currently stands at one gold and two silver medals, Uganda with one silver and one bronze, and Ethiopia with one gold.<br><br>With many of the athletics events still to come, there is still plenty of room for the teams to bring more success and glory to their countries.</p>


Swimming – Olympics: Day 7

Making A Splash And More Glory


<p><strong>TOPLINE</strong> 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.</p>



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



<p>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;<em>Kyodo News</em>&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>.</p>



<p>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.</p>



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



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



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



<p>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.</p>



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



<p>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.</p>



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



<p><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)</p>



<p><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)</p>



<p><strong><em>By Siladitya Ray, Forbes Staff</em></strong></p>


Opening Ceremony – Olympics: Day 0

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


<p><strong>TOPLINE</strong>: 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;</p>



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



<p>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;</p>



<p>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;</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>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;</p>



<p>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;</p>



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



<p>The International Olympic Committee told&nbsp;<em>Forbes&nbsp;</em>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;</p>



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



<p>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;</p>



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



<p>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;</p>



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



<p>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;<em>Forbes</em>. 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;</p>



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



<p><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)</p>



<p><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)</p>



<p><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)</p>



<p><strong><em>By Robert Hart, Forbes Staff</em></strong></p>


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


<p><strong>TOPLINE</strong>: A Ugandan athlete training in Japan in preparation for the Tokyo Olympics went missing on Friday, triggering a search by local officials and police, in an incident that has raised doubt about the security measures put in place by the games’ organizers to keep the spread of Covid-19 in check.</p>



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



<p>Julius Ssekitoleko, a 20-year-old Ugandan weightlifter, was not found in his designated accommodation when a local official attempted to find him to receive his sample for Covid-19 testing,&nbsp;<em>Kyodo News</em>&nbsp;<a href="https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/07/37a6d0d3d253-urgent-ugandan-olympic-athlete-training-in-japan-goes-missing.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>.</p>



<p>Ssekitoleko was staying in the city of Izumisano in western Japan along with other members of the Ugandan Olympic team.</p>



<p>The missing athlete was last spotted by his teammates at around 12:30 am on Friday, city officials said.</p>



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



<p>The Ugandan Olympics delegation reached Japan last month and they were among the first group of visiting athletes to reach the country to prepare for the summer games. After their arrival, two members of the delegation&nbsp;<a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/06/23/national/uganda-olympian-covid/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">tested positive</a>&nbsp;for Covid-19, which prevented the team from beginning their training activities. The team finally started training in Izumisano last week after undergoing a strict quarantine.</p>



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



<p>Visiting athletes participating in the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics are expected to follow a stringent set of pandemic-related rules which includes regular testing and having their movement restricted. As part of the rules&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/archive/2021/06/?sh=47defdb81f67">unveiled last month</a>, 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. The rulebook warns that non-compliance will result in large fines, permanent bans from the Olympics and even expulsion from Japan, depending on the severity of the breach.</p>



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



<p><a href="https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/07/37a6d0d3d253-urgent-ugandan-olympic-athlete-training-in-japan-goes-missing.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ugandan Olympic athlete training in Japan goes missing</a> (Kyodo News)</p>



<p><strong><em>By Siladitya Ray, Forbes Staff</em></strong></p>


Weightlifting – Commonwealth Games Day 1

Ugandan Olympic Athlete Goes Missing In Japan In Possible Breach Of Covid-19 Rules


<p id="h-topline"><strong>TOPLINE</strong> 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.</p>



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



<p>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.</p>



<p><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;<em>Japan Times</em>, 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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>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>.</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



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



<p>“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.”</p>



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



<p>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.</p>



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



<p>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.”</p>



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



<p><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)</p>



<p><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)</p>



<p><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)</p>



<p><strong><em>By Siladitya Ray, Forbes Staff</em></strong></p>


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


<p><strong>TOPLINE </strong>The president of the International Olympics Committee (IOC) Thomas Bach on Wednesday offered to increase the number of medical professionals available in Tokyo to help out during the Olympics, amid growing calls from Japan’s medical community to cancel the games which are scheduled to start in just nine weeks as the country continues to witness a surge in Covid-19 cases.</p>



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



<p>Speaking in Tokyo on Wednesday, Bach rejected calls for canceling the Olympics and insisted that the IOC will hold “safe and secure” games, the Associated Press&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tokyo-health-coronavirus-pandemic-olympic-games-sports-a8dfa4edeea0efbbd498c9a788581c06" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>.</p>



<p>Bach promised that medical help would come from various national Olympic committees and be available in the Olympic village and sports venues, however, details on this were extremely thin.</p>



<p>The IOC president said he believed more than 80% of the residents of the Olympic Village, which accommodates competing athletes, would be vaccinated or booked for vaccination ahead of the Games.</p>



<p>Bach also said “hundreds of sports events” have been held safely during the pandemic and noted that none of the “test events” held recently in Tokyo turned out to be “virus spreaders.”</p>



<p>Bach’s address comes at a time when doctors organizations in Japan have warned of a collapse of the country’s medical system and that the event has the possibility of increasing the spread of the infection.</p>



<p><em>Nikkei&nbsp;</em><a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/05/19/national/medical-workers-vaccine-rate/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>&nbsp;that less than 40% of medical workers in Japan have been vaccinated against Covid-19 and the problem is more severe in Tokyo and other major urban centers where the vaccination rate among health workers is less than 30%.</p>



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



<p>“For obvious reasons, we cannot give [athletes] every detail yet, but the most important principle is very clear: the Olympic Village is a safe place and the Olympic and Paralympic Games will be organized in a safe way,” Bach said.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-chief-critic">CHIEF CRITIC</h3>



<p>In a letter sent to Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga last week, the Tokyo Medical Practitioners’ Association&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tokyo-health-coronavirus-pandemic-olympic-games-sports-a8dfa4edeea0efbbd498c9a788581c06" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">warned</a>: “The medical systems responding to COVID-19 are stretched thin, almost to their limits. The reality is that the entire medical system faces an almost insurmountable hardship in trying our best to respond with coronavirus measures.” The letter&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/tokyo-doctors-call-cancellation-olympic-games-due-covid-19-2021-05-18/#:~:text=SportsTokyo%20doctors%20call%20for,Games%20due%20to%20COVID%2D19&amp;text=A%20top%20medical%20organisation%20has,the%20start%20of%20the%20Games.mes." target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">added</a>&nbsp;a “strong request” for authorities to convince the IOC to cancel the games.</p>



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



<p>2.2%. That’s the percentage of Japan’s 126 million-strong population who have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 according to Bloomberg’s global vaccination tracker. Reuters previously&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/unused-covid-shots-piling-up-japan-amid-slow-rollout-2021-05-07/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">noted</a>&nbsp;that this was the slowest rollout among wealthy countries.</p>



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



<p>The organizers of the Tokyo games have said they will need about 10,000 medical personnel during the Olympics and have also asked for 500 extra nurses and 200 sports medicine specialists. Several districts near Tokyo have warned that they will not give priority to treating Olympic athletes and at least 40 Japanese towns have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2021/05/13/around-40-japanese-host-towns-drop-plans-to-house-incoming-olympic-athletes-over-covid-concerns/?sh=730af04f1c10">abandoned plans</a>&nbsp;to host visiting athletes amid concerns about inadequate resources. The increasingly unpopular decision to press forward with the event has also faced pushback from Japanese citizens online and a petition to call off the games has now crossed 373,000 signatures.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.change.org/p/%E4%BA%BA%E3%80%85%E3%81%AE%E5%91%BD%E3%81%A8%E6%9A%AE%E3%82%89%E3%81%97%E3%82%92%E5%AE%88%E3%82%8B%E3%81%9F%E3%82%81%E3%81%AB-%E6%9D%B1%E4%BA%AC%E4%BA%94%E8%BC%AA%E3%81%AE%E9%96%8B%E5%82%AC%E4%B8%AD%E6%AD%A2%E3%82%92%E6%B1%82%E3%82%81%E3%81%BE%E3%81%99-stoptokyoolympic?utm_content=cl_sharecopy_28685503_ja-JP%3A0&amp;recruiter=1199662576&amp;utm_source=share_petition&amp;utm_medium=copylink&amp;utm_campaign=share_petition&amp;use_react=false" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The petition</a>, which was launched earlier this month, argues that it is “highly possible” the Olympic Games will become a “superspreader” event that will “cause danger and fear to healthcare workers, citizens and participants.”</p>



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



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jemimamcevoy/2021/05/18/thousands-of-japanese-doctors-warn-tokyo-cant-handle-olympics-amid-recent-covid-19-outbreak/?sh=60b858b6a304">Thousands Of Japanese Doctors Warn Tokyo Can’t Handle Olympics Amid Recent Covid-19 Outbreak</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2021/05/13/around-40-japanese-host-towns-drop-plans-to-house-incoming-olympic-athletes-over-covid-concerns/?sh=23d75b561c10">Around 40 Japanese ‘Host Towns’ Drop Plans To House Incoming Olympic Athletes Over Covid Concerns</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2021/05/07/tens-of-millions-of-unused-covid-vaccine-doses-are-reportedly-piling-up-in-japan-as-it-witnesses-a-surge-in-cases/?sh=7bd74d2541c9">Tens Of Millions Of Unused Covid Vaccine Doses Are Reportedly Piling Up In Japan As It Witnesses A Surge In Cases</a> (Forbes)</p>



<p><em><strong>By Siladitya Ray, Forbes Staff</strong></em></p>


A protester holds up a sign which calls for the Cancellation

Olympics Chief Offers Additional Medical Help For Tokyo As Pressure Mounts To Cancel Games


<p>Olympic gold medalist runner Caster Semenya must lower her testosterone levels if she wants to defend her 800 meter title in Tokyo next year, a Swiss court <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://apnews.com/bd69bc7ea983d9a1959813402d3d3472" target="_blank">ruled</a> Tuesday, bringing an end to Semenya’s long legal battle against her sport’s governing body that brought controversy and heated debate to the role hormones play in athletic performance.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">KEY FACTS</h4>



<p>Semenya, who hails from South Africa, identifies as female and was judged to be female at birth, but has naturally higher levels of testosterone and XY chromosomes due to being born with a sex development disorder.</p>



<p>Tuesday’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/bd69bc7ea983d9a1959813402d3d3472" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ruling</a>&nbsp;by Switzerland’s supreme court dismissed Semenya’s appeal of a 2019&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/01/sports/caster-semenya-loses.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">decision</a>&nbsp;that ordered her—and athletes with similar hormonal conditions—to suppress testosterone levels in order to compete.</p>



<p>Testosterone levels can be lowered either through medication or surgery, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/bd69bc7ea983d9a1959813402d3d3472" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Associated Press</a>.</p>



<p>The International Association for Athletics Federation, the governing body for running,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/01/sports/caster-semenya-loses.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">maintains</a>&nbsp;that athletes with “differences of sexual development,” and more specifically female athletes with higher levels of testosterone, have an advantage in some events due to additional muscle mass, more strength and the ability to take in more oxygen. &nbsp;</p>



<p>“I am very disappointed by this ruling, but refuse to let World Athletics drug me or stop me from being who I am,” Semenya said in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nortonrosefulbright.com/en-za/news/8ee6fb77/caster-semenya-remains-determined-to-fight-for-human-rights" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">statement</a>, adding, “I will continue to fight for the human rights of female athletes, both on the track and off the track, until we can all run free the way we were born.”</p>



<p>In its ruling, Switzerland’s supreme court said the country’s Court of Arbitration for Sport was allowed to “uphold the conditions of participation issued for female athletes” with differences in sexual development “in order to guarantee fair competition for certain running disciplines in female athletics.”</p>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote has-text-align-center is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"><p>“This decision is a call to action–as a society, we cannot allow a sports federation to override the most fundamental of human rights,” </p><cite>said lawyer Dorothee Schramm, who led Semenya’s appeal, in a <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.nortonrosefulbright.com/en-za/news/8ee6fb77/caster-semenya-remains-determined-to-fight-for-human-rights" target="_blank">statement</a>.</cite></blockquote>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">CHIEF CRITIC</h4>



<p>Athletics South Africa, the country’s governing body for running that backs Semenya. The group&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/sports/caster-semenya-can-t-compete-her-best-olympics-events-without-n1000531" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">previously called</a>&nbsp;the IAAF’s testosterone policy “discriminatory, unnecessary, unreliable and disproportionate.”</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">KEY BACKGROUND</h4>



<p>Semenya’s biology has been the subject of controversy since she burst onto the international running scene in 2009. Her victories at the time raised questions about her sex, leading the IAAF to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2009/aug/23/caster-semenya-athletics-gender" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">perform</a>&nbsp;a sex verification test on her. She was also forced to take medication to reduce her testosterone in order to continue competing. In 2011, the IAAF announced new rules that would tighten the upper limits of testosterone levels in female athletes. The rule was dropped in 2015 when Indian sprinter Dutee Chand&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/28/sports/international/dutee-chand-female-sprinter-with-high-male-hormone-level-wins-right-to-compete.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">convinced</a>&nbsp;Switzerland’s Court of Arbitration for Sport that there wasn’t enough evidence to prove that elevated testosterone levels increased athletic performance. Then, in 2018, the IAAF&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/apr/25/iaaf-testosterone-rules-caster-semenya" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">announced</a>&nbsp;the policy upheld in Tuesday’s court decision, which applies to runners in three events, and narrow enough for critics to say it was designed to target Semenya.&nbsp;</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">TANGENT</h4>



<p>Transgender athletes have been keeping tabs on Semenya’s case.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wired.com/story/the-glorious-victories-of-trans-athletes-are-shaking-up-sports/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Similar arguments</a>&nbsp;are made about transgender athletes having an advantage over biological women. Different governing organizations have different policies, as well. The NCAA, for example, allows transgender women to compete on women’s teams after completing a year of hormone suppression treatment. But for the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association, which oversees&nbsp;<a href="https://resources.wftda.org/womens-flat-track-derby-association-statement-about-gender/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">roller derby</a>, “an individual who identifies as a trans woman, intersex woman, and/or gender expansive” can compete on women’s teams.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">FURTHER READING</h4>



<p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/01/sports/caster-semenya-loses.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Caster Semenya Loses Case to Compete as a Woman in All Races</a>&nbsp;(New York Times)</p>



<p><a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://apnews.com/bd69bc7ea983d9a1959813402d3d3472" target="_blank">Semenya loses at Swiss supreme court over testosterone rules</a> (Associated Press)</p>



<p><em>-Lisette Voytko, Forbes Staff</em></p>


Tag: Olympics

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