Shutter Down for Tokyo Olympics — A Review

The cauldron of Tokyo Olympics 2020 err held in 2021 was snuffed yesterday. The long-awaited event was postponed by the ongoing pandemic, opposed by the Tokyo citizens and finally held inside a stadium filled with only athletes, managers, and judges.

The event might be lacklustre with the empty bleachers but much closer than it ever was. The excitement, thrill and chase for perfection were not numbed by the loud cheering of the audience. You can hear the gasps and heart-throbbing of the athletes.

For the first time, you could feel the athletes were not simply for entertainment. Their struggle and feelings were much more humane.

Would the Tokyo Olympics 2020 ever be held? This was the question that stuck in my brain when the pandemic was denying to go away. The preparation at a pause and the uncertain situation made me think if we even need these games.

For me, the Olympics is only a source of entertainment. Like me, billions of people think the same. We would keep a tab on the news and count the medals for each country. For us, it’s the medals on the table that matters, not the blood, sweat and tears that are invested in them.

But not this time. Call me hypocritical. But you cannot understand someone’s else perspective until someone is vocal about it. You cannot see through their glasses until you are made aware of it.

Mental Health of Sportsperson

After Naomi Osaka made waves about her mental health. I thought to myself, she is already a top seed in her game. She has got medals, fortune and it’s not like she is working 9-to-5, burning her soul away. She is chasing her dreams.

And then knowing her point of view, you will ponder about the rainbows and sunshine of the sports world. How much is actually the dream and not the dream suffocating the enthusiasm?

To be an Olympic medal winner, you start working on your dream when you are 4 or 5 years old.

Plebians like us didn’t even know what dreams meant. I wanted to be a dinosaur at that age. (No need to be shy about your childhood dreams. Nobody is born brilliant. Maybe some are.)

After undergoing harsh training from an early age, you hone your sports skills before your social skills.

When you start developing your social skills, you are already on the pedestal of the world where you have to behave as the norms. You are burdened with way more expectations than you can actually handle.

Gender Equity

The alphabet community has made the world aware of them. They keep telling us that they are no different. We, too, know they are not different. It’s just that we don’t understand. And we keep the ignorance and keep doing things that may hurt their feelings.

It’s high time we make every one of us feel included. It’s about equity rather than equality. Even in the Olympics.

This Olympic has few more categories to show how we are growing. Quinn, a Canadian soccer player bagged a gold. She didn’t shy away from her identity and made sure she was included too. There were many underdogs, and I hope they also claim their share in the future games. For sports, being binary or non-binary should not matter.

What should matter is the capability?

Inclusion in all shapes and sizes

Alice Dearing is the first female Black Swimmer in the team Great Britain. She was denied a swimming cap because of her voluminous afro hair.

Hair is a prideful part for any woman. And for a woman of African descent, it’s part of a culture. Getting denied because of the culture raises many red flags.

Despite all that, Dearing got the chance to represent the team. She put her best efforts to win a medal in the sweltering heat of Tokyo, but she missed by few inches. She is more determined for the Paris Olympics, and hopefully, she will get that one.

More than Medals

Remember that controversial Olympics where a black athlete had to wear black socks to bring their plight to light. At that time, many critiqued their choice of politicising the games. And now one might wonder, if not then, then when.

Inclusion, equality, and even equity is a part of living. Mental health is also a crucial health aspect. And getting denied in any aspect is unfair. Whether in the sports field or the corporate zone, you need sports glasses or blue light glasses, change your perspective and be more inclusive.