There is less than a week left in these Olympics and a lot of competition. This is what you need to know.
People gather outside Tokyo’s Ariake Urban Sports Park, the venue of Olympic cycling BMX freestyle events, on July 31, 2021, trying to watch the sport. The games are being held without spectators from the general public at almost all venues amid the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Kyodo News via Getty Images)
Japan fans get involved – Many of Tokyo’s residents seem to be getting into the Olympic spirit. Crowds are buying souvenirs and flocking to the Olympic rings for photos. Some line up on the sidewalks to watch public-facing events, such as cycling and mixed triathlon. On Sunday, people lined up on a bridge hundreds of meters away to watch the BMX competition.
This Olympic fervor seemed unlikely two weeks ago. Tokyo remains in a state of emergency due to the growing number of COVID-19 cases in the country, and polls before the Games showed that the majority of the Japanese public was opposed to holding a massive sporting event amid a pandemic. The protesters came out on the day of the opening ceremony to express their dissatisfaction with the government’s decision to go ahead with the competition.
Since the Games have been in full swing, the tide has turned, and that’s due in large part to Japan’s unprecedented success. The country has already won a record 17 gold medals.
Although the organizers have done a good job preventing the pandemic from affecting most competitions, COVID-19 cases are increasing to new levels in Tokyo. Authorities reported another 3,058 cases in the Japanese capital on Sunday, more than double the previous week, and are trying to get fans to enjoy the Games from home.
The unlikely Belarusian defector: Sprinter Kristina Timanovskaya said in a video Sunday that the Belarusian Olympic team had forcibly removed her from the competition and would send her home to the authoritarian regime. Timanovskaya had trained to run the 200-meter race, but said she had been listed to compete in the 4×400-meter relay without her consent.
Timanovskaya does not appear to be defecting for political reasons. She told Belarusian sports outlet Tribuna that she had never competed in the 400 meters and was “outraged” by the decision.
Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko has ruled the country for 27 years. He was also in charge of the Belarusian national Olympic committee for decades before his son, Victor, took office this year.
Italy’s big night: The Italians took home two gold medals in an exciting track and field night on Sunday. Lamont Marcell Jacobs took first place in the men’s 100m sprint, the high-profile race that Usain Bolt had dominated since Beijing 2008. Italian high jumper Gianmarco Tamberi shared the gold medal with Qatar’s Mutaz Essa Barshim.
The medal table: China leads all nations with 24 golds, followed by the United States with 20 and Japan with 17. The Americans have 60 medals in total, more than any other country.
What will come next in Tokyo:
New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard will become the first transgender woman to compete in the Olympics on Monday night. Their inclusion in the event generated an intense debate on gender, sexism and sport.
There are three more individual gymnastics golds at stake: the men’s parallel bars, the men’s horizontal bar, and the women’s balance beam.
Sifa Hassan will go for gold in the 5,000-meter women’s final. The Dutch long-distance runner is aiming for an unprecedented treble in that race, in the 1,500 meters and 10,000 meters.
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