Category: Olympic

Swim Showdown: US Star Ledecky, Aussie to Battle for Gold

TOKYO—Katie Ledecky’s teammates are already piling up Olympic medals. Now it’s her turn, and she wants some hardware of her own. Ledecky opened her Olympic program as the top qualifier in the 400-meter freestyle on Sunday night, setting up a showdown with Ariarne Titmus of Australia as the American star tries to defend her title….


Portuguese Surfer Frederico Morais Tests Positive for COVID-19

TOKYO—Portuguese surfer Frederico Morais has announced that he tested positive for COVID-19 and will miss the sport’s Olympic debut in Japan. Morais, 29, issued a statement on social media Friday evening. “This is likely the saddest video I’ve ever had to post. In 2019 I qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics that were postponed because…


Australia Shocks Argentina 2–0 in Men’s Olympic Soccer

SAPPORO, Japan—Two-time Olympic men’s soccer champion Argentina was stunned 2–0 by Australia in their opening game at the Tokyo Games on Thursday. In its first Olympic game since 2008, Australia took the lead through Lachlan Wales’ tap-in the 14th minute at the Sapporo Dome. Marco Tilio secured the victory in the 80th, just a minute…


This Is the Powerful Message of the Olympic Games on Wellness

By Rodolfo Oviedo After many doubts and uncertainty, we arrived at one more appointment of the Olympic Games, one of the most unifying moments that we have as humanity, where empathy, healthy competition, amazement, effort, dedication coincide; That is why it was a historic milestone that they were suspended in 2020 and generated so much expectation…


Prospect of Making History Will Outweigh Empty Seats: Djokovic

BELGRADE—The prospect of winning an Olympic gold medal for Serbia outweighs the disappointment of playing in an empty venue at the Tokyo games, the men’s world tennis number one Novak Djokovic said on Monday. Djokovic considered pulling out of the Olympics due to COVID-19-related restrictions after winning Wimbledon this month but decided to head to…


Olympic Athletes to Put on Own Medals at Tokyo Ceremonies

TOKYO—Athletes at the Tokyo Olympics will put their medals around their own necks to protect against spreading the coronavirus. The “very significant change” to traditional medal ceremonies in the 339 events was revealed Wednesday by International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach. “The medals will not be given around the neck,” Bach told international media on…


Gymnast Oleg Verniaiev out of Olympics After Doping Ban

KYIV, Ukraine—Olympic champion gymnast Oleg Verniaiev is set to miss the Tokyo Games because he has been banned for four years following a failed drug test. The Ukrainian gymnast tested positive for the banned substance meldonium in August 2020 and was banned after a ruling by the Gymnastics Ethics Foundation, which hears disciplinary cases in…


Veteran GOP Lawmakers Call for Gwen Berry’s Removal From US Olympic Team Over Anthem Protest

Two Republican lawmakers are calling for hammer thrower bronze medalist Gwendolyn Berry to be removed from the team after using her position in the U.S. Olympics as a vehicle for her activism. Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) and Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) made similar comments over the June 26 incident when Berry decided to turn away from the American flag…


Olympian Athlete Turns Away From Flag as Anthem Played, Claims Song’s Timing ‘Was a Setup’

A U.S. Olympic track and field trials athlete protested the playing of the National Anthem on June 26 in Oregon by turning away from the American flag and placing a black T-shirt over her head. Gwendolyn Berry, who received a bronze medal in the hammer throw that day, took a quarter turn away from the…


Rising Star Malone Headlines Men’s Olympic Gymnastics Team

ST. LOUIS—Brody Malone tried to block it all out. The stakes. The scores. The noise. His ears wouldn’t cooperate. So yeah, Malone knew exactly where he was in the standings at the U.S. Olympic Trials on Saturday. In the lead. In control. And comfortable. Good thing, because the 20-year-old with the soft southern drawl that…