Tokyo '21, Week 2: Moving Right Along

 The Summer Olympics that should never have been held concluded Sunday night in Tokyo with the United States winning the lion's share of medals before video cameras in empty venues, while thousands of athletes and volunteers may be coming home with the consolation prize of a COVID-19 diagnosis--whether they're vaccinated or not.

Here are the top three medal finishers:  

1.     United States  (39 gold, 41 silver, 33 bronze = 133)

2.     China (38 gold, 32 silver, 18 bronze = 88)

3.     Athletes from Russia (20 gold, 28 silver, 23 bronze = 71)

The Americans ruled the pool with Caeleb Dressel and Katie Ledecky, took gold (as usual) in men's and women's basketball, and in women's volleyball (beach and indoor).  Considered disappointments were the women's soccer team (but they did win bronze) and the men's track team.

The Canadians had a good Olympics, with Damian Warner winning the Decathlon, Andre de Grasse in men's 200m track and the women's soccer team contributing to their haul of seven golds, six silvers and 11 bronze.  Those 24 medals were good for 11th place in the standings.

Among those who took their curtain calls during these Olympics:  Simone Biles (bronze in the uneven bars) in gymnastics, Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi in basketball, Megan Rapinoe and Carli Lloyd in soccer, and Allyson Felix in track.  Felix became the most decorated athlete in U.S. Olympic history with 11 medals, moving past Carl Lewis.

So it's over, the strangest Olympics ever.  It was postponed once, and despite misgivings from the media and host country Japan, there was no way the International Olympic Committee and business partners including NBC were going to pass up the opportunity to have these Games come hell, high water or jam-packed hospitals.  While all this was going on, it was the anniversary of the American nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, hastening the end of World War II.  Didn't hear much about that, did you?

In six months, the athletes of the world will descend on Beijing, China for the Winter Olympics.  Yes, they hosted the 2008 Summer Games, and the same issues about China's human rights policy are still valid.  But now we have the ongoing coronavirus crisis that apparently began in China, and could very well affect the conduct of these Olympics if vaccination rates don't improve.  One would assume the Chinese government would have a better handle on these matters than Japan, even if they do it more ruthlessly than we'd like.

But that's OK.  The IOC will take their money no matter how and from whom they get it from, pandemic or not.  Some things never change.

Tokyo '21, Week 1: Under Pressure

 Let's get this out of the way first:  At the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, the United States leads the medal count over China by a 59-51 margin as of August 1.  The U.S. has 20 gold, 23 silver and 16 bronze.  The Chinese have 24 gold, 14 silver and 13 bronze.  The weather is hot and stormy, more athletes have tested positive for COVID-19, and NBC is insisting they'll make a profit on these Games in spite of low ratings and so-so reviews.

All the medals and the television coverage in the world took a back seat in Week 1 to whatever was going on with American gymnast Simone Biles, who dropped out of the all-around team and individual competition because she says she wasn't mentally able to perform.  It has been reported that Biles is begging off the rest of the individual events she was supposed to be in, but we'll see what happens in Week 2.

In the years since Biles vaulted to stardom (so to speak) at the 2016 Games in Rio, she's become the "face" of this U.S. Olympic team with NBC building their Tokyo coverage around her.  She's been through a scandal that resulted in team doctor Larry Nassar being sent to prison, convicted of sexually abusing Biles and other female gymnasts. Oh yes, and she's a Black woman participating in a sport dominated by whites.  So you could hardly blame Biles if she didn't want to face another pair of uneven bars right now.

Naomi Osaka, the tennis star who recently made headlines for skipping two of the sport's major tournaments--the French Open (also known as the Roland Garros tournament) and Wimbledon--to tend to her mental health issues after being suspended for refusing to speak to reporters.  She relented long enough to light the Olympic Flame at the Opening Ceremonies, then lost her first round match, leaving her with a lot more time to figure things out.

Biles and Osaka are being applauded for their decision to step back from the spotlight.  But this might not go over well with the "Suck It Up, Buttercup" crowd, who resent pampered millionaire athletes and celebrities who every once in awhile take time off to deal with their "issues". Or normal folks who are stressed out every day of their lives, yet they can't afford to take time off or have access to mental health services.

In Biles' absence, the American women's gymnastics team has stepped up.  They placed second in the all-around team competition behind Russia (known here as the Russian Olympic Committee after the official team was barred for alleged doping), and Sunisa Lee won gold in the individual all around event.  Both of which Biles would have dominated had she competed.

Athletes like Biles and Osaka have spent days, months and years training and perfecting their craft to get to where they are today.  If they are not mentally prepared, it can all go downhill on a moment's notice.  For Simone Biles, Naomi Osaka and so many others, being mentally prepared to face their challenges is something they must deal with, and for the rest of us to understand.