Kon Ichikawa’s documentary of the 1964 games is one of the great sporting documentaries – if not simply one of the great documentaries.
Women’s 800-metre silver medal winner Margaret Nyairera Wambui, left, shakes hands with gold medal winner Caster Semenya on the podium at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia. Both runners have refused to take hormone-reducing drugs so they could compete at the Tokyo Olympics.
(AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Mandatory sex testing at the Olympics might have stopped in the 1990s, but the policing of high performance female athletes’ bodies is still ongoing.
Since Rio handed the baton to Tokyo in 2016, the city has prepared to host foreign and domestic Olympics fans alike.
dpa picture alliance / Alamy Stock Photo
As COVID empties the Tokyo 2020 bleachers, will the economic benefits of hosting in the first place outweigh the losses incurred by not having tourists?
The British government has opted to press on with reopening and not wait for the number of fully vaccinated people to rise, while Japan introduces new restrictions ahead of the Olympics.
The statue of the Olympics rings overlooks people visiting a nearby shopping mall in Tokyo.
(AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Concerns about holding the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games during a state of emergency highlights just how much power the International Olympic Committee wields over the global sporting world.
British runner Albert Hill winning the 800-meter run at the 1920 Antwerp Olympics.
Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Estampes et photographie, EI-13 (727)
The IOC was under considerable pressure to host the 1920 games. While a noble goal, it resulted in significant hardships for war-torn Belgium and the athletes themselves.
Sha'Carri Richardson celebrates during the U.S. Olympic Track and Field trials on June 18. Shortly after the trials, Richardson was suspended for a month for testing positive for marijuana – a ban that will keep her from competing at the Tokyo Olympics.
(AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
How well are the Tokyo Olympics prepared for a COVID crisis when there is still an outbreak in the country, the vaccination rates are low and athletes are asked to socially distance?
A statue in honour of U.S. Olympians Tommie Smith, left, and John Carlos is seen on the campus of San Jose State University in San Jose, Calif. The pair of sprinters were expelled from the Olympics in 1968 after they raised their fists on the medals stand to protest racial inequality in the United States.
(AP Photo/Tony Avelar)
The International Olympic Committee’s Rule 50 still restricts the freedom of speech of athletes, despite the recently relaxed stipulations. A respected Olympian says the IOC must change its policy.
Bubble life means spending time with different people, to aid psychological recovery, will not be an option for athletes in Tokyo.
EVREN KALINBACAK / Alamy Stock Photo
The emotive and polarising language surrounding the Olympic weightlifter – and transgender rights in general – is crowding out the voices we need to hear most.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is sinking in the polls under intense criticism over his handling of the Tokyo Games. And yet, he may still get over the line in national elections this year.
The decision to cancel the games lies ultimately with the International Olympic Committee – an extraordinary power that explains why Tokyo is pressing ahead.
Protesters speak out against the Olympics in Tokyo on May 17, 2021.
AP Photo/Koji Sasahara
Japan is going through its fourth wave, testing rates are low and case numbers are climbing. Now athletes aren’t happy with the IOC’s plans to protect them.
Clinician Scientist, Canada Research Chair in Injury Prevention and Physical Activity for Health, Sport Medicine Physician, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University
Honorary Professor, School of Kinesiology, Western University, London, Canada; Adjunct Fellow, Olympic Scholar and Co-Director of the Olympic and Paralympic Research Centre, Institute for Health and Sport, Victoria University