The 2020 Summer Olympics make their return this year after being canceled in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The games will begin on July 23 from Tokyo, Japan starting with the opening ceremonies including the Parade of Nations. Over 200 countries are being represented in this year’s games.
Five new sports will debut this summer: surfing, sport climbing, skateboarding, karate, and baseball (men)/softball (women). The International Olympic Committee looks to aim toward a younger demographic and adding sports like surfing and skateboarding is a good way to do so.
This year’s Olympic games will take place with no spectators after Japan declared a state of emergency due to a sudden Covid-19 resurgence. The decision was made in order to prevent Tokyo from being the site of the next starting point for infections. People are being asked to retain from attending events on the streets, like the triathlon and the passing of the torch..
North Korea has chosen to forgo the Olympics this year, citing the new outbreak and concerns of protecting their citizens as reasons. This will be the first time since 1988 that North Korea will not participate in the games.
Also absent from this year’s Olympics is Sha’carri Richardson. Richardson, a track star and gold medal favorite, has been banned from participating following a positive drug test for marijuana. The decision was met with a bit of controversy from the public due to the IOC’s policies on marijuana and athletics. Richardson tweeted “I am human” after it was revealed she smoked marijuana to help cope with her mother’s death.
Fans have criticized the IOC’s punishment of Richardson and a petition called “Let Sha’carri Run!” was created to help influence the IOC to overturn their decision. The position has just over 575,000 signatures as of July 10.
There will also be some familiar faces returning for this year’s Olympics. Simone Biles and Katie Ledecky are just two of the stars hoping to bring home gold in their respective sports. Coming off a historic performance at the GK U.S. Classic, Biles is the gold medal favorite in four events and looks to add to her collection of five medals by winning five more. Ledecky also looks to outswim her competitors and add to her impressive five career gold medals.
There are a few different ways to watch the 2020 Olympics. All of the Olympics will be aired on NBC as well as the NBC Mobile app. A cable subscription is required to watch on the app. The games can also be viewed on the Olympic Channel website, with live streams available for each event.
Kris Johnson
Intern