As we all know, the worldwide coronavirus pandemic has led to numerous postponements, cancellations and exceptions in 2020 and 2021, and will continue to affect people across the globe for years to come. One of the major events that had to pay a steep price due to the pandemic, was the Olympic and Paralympic games originally scheduled to take place in Tokyo during the summer of 2020. As the pandemic spread like wildfire across the world, it was in March 2020 decided that the games would be postponed for one year, which is the first such instance in the history of the Olympics, as previous postponements have all had to be cancelled. However, the games and the world’s love for sports did persevere, and on the 23rd of July 2021 the Olympic flame was lit in Japan. Let us take a closer look at everything Tokyo 2020!

Athletes train their entire life for one moment, the Olympic games. At as early as the age of 10, many even set their eyes on one specific Olympic games, plan their training and improvement to hopefully peak at that exact moment. And then, when that one moment you have trained most of your life for suddenly disappears right in front of you, it is devastating. For some, the postponement even meant that their one chance, and entire career, suddenly withered away. However, for those who managed to get back up on their feet, keep training and create a new plan - the prestigious Olympic medals were still within reach. And for others, the postponement meant that they actually got a chance they never would have gotten otherwise. The Olympic and Paralympic games are full of these stories, of those who never gave up, those who got there despite all odds. Role models in so many other ways than their physical achievements.

Although such a major sporting event is far from good for the planet, sustainability has been central to these Olympic games, with the slogan “Be better, together - For the planet and the people”. We still have a long way to go when it comes to making such a major sporting event completely sustainable, if that is even possible, but we should expect even more efforts to be taken during future games as the world as a whole is in dire need of moving towards a greener future. 

In terms of sustainability, the Tokyo 2020 Games’ primary focus was on adhering to the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals, but the 2020 Olympic committee created an additional five other sustainability goals for the games, in an initiative to reduce the environmental impact of such a major sporting event. These additional goals were; to mainly use renewable energy sources to power the games, to stick to a zero waste policy, to sustain the natural environment and biodiversity within the games to contribute to Tokyo’s idea of “city within nature - nature within the city”, to follow the UN’s guidelines and principles in terms of fair business practices, labour and human rights and involving all groups of people in all stages of life in an effort to make the games “open to everyone.” Furthermore, to stay within the Olympics’ Sustainable Sourcing Code, during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic games, all podiums and medals used are made of recycled plastic and metal from electronic devices donated to the games, while majority of the new structures and stadiums were built in wood with a claim that this sustainably sourced timber will eventually be disassembled and re-used.

The bold sustainability claims of the games did not escape some early controversy, of course, with organisations questioning the actual sustainability of the wood sourcing and how the act of building the massive structures could possibly be done in an environmentally friendly way. However, the main controversy surrounding these games was in the fact that even after more than 18 months, the world is still in the middle of a pandemic, which raises the question of whether the games should have taken place at all, as well as concerns of another wave following the games. Despite the concerns, the games did still take place as planned, though with some notable changes - the main one being that there were no audience members, thus the media coverage and live streaming of each event has been more important than ever. 

But that is enough talk around the organisation of the games, and let us take a look at the 2020 Olympic programme and at what has been achieved by the 11 000 athletes competing during those sixteen days. On this year’s programme there were 33 different sports, each with multiple disciplines and medal opportunities, including five brand new events such as skateboarding and sport climbing, and over 300 medals were awarded across the disciplines. And speaking of medals, the US topped the medal statistics with a total of 113, with 39 of them being gold, closely followed by China with 38 gold and in third we find the host country, Japan, with a total of 27 gold medals. 

But the Olympics is not just about winning gold. 

Not many people in the world get to call themselves olympians, it is a title reserved to those who fight, against all odds. It requires so much perseverance to even get to that point and qualify for the Olympics, that being able to walk through the doors at the Olympic Village is an amazing achievement in itself. And on top of just being there and calling themselves Olypians, these athletes have something else in common - good sportsmanship. A great example of this from the Tokyo Olympics was when two track and field athletes, Botswana Nijel Amos and American Isaiah Jewett, got tangled up and fell during the men’s 800m semi-finals. Rather than becoming angry with one another for ruining their chances at a spot in the finals, the two men helped each other up and walked to the finish line side by side. In one of the new sports on the Olympic programme this year, surfing, Brazilian Italo Ferreira won the men’s competition in front of Japanese-American Kanoa Igarashi, and when Ferreira struggled with a press conference question shortly after, Igashi, who speak some Portuguese, kindly stepped in and helped translating. Among competitors helping each other across the finish line or choosing to share a cold instead of continuing the competition, these are only a couple of some of the memorable moments from this year’s Olympic games. 

Mental health is fortunately becoming less of a taboo topic in the world in general as well as in sports, and already at the opening ceremony, these games took a clear stand on the matter as Naomi Osaka lit the Olympic flame. Not only is Osaka a tennis superstar and Japanese hero, but the 23-year-old has also been on the forefront of normalising mental health struggles. But what really sparked a global conversation about the topic is thanks to American gymnast Simone Biles. The already four-time Olympic gold medalist showed exceptional courage when she pulled out of the women’s team competition after the first rotation, which she later explained was because of her working through a mental issue rather than a physical one, and that she pulled out for the team because she knew they could step up and do better without her. As a clear favourite for winning most of the women’s gold medals in Tokyo, there was enormous pressure on Biles prior to the games. But even for olympic athletes it is ok not to be ok. 

Even though the Olympic games have come to an end, the celebration of good sportsmanship and strong-willed athletes will continue in Tokyo as we look forward to the Paralympic games opening on 24 August!