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B RILLIA NT- ON LIN E AUGUS T 2021
2020 OLYMPICS TAKES THE TOKYO 2020 GOLD MEDAL AGAINST ALL ODDS ✦ Considering it was the most high-profile sports event that almost never happened, the Tokyo 2020 Olympics Games, which finished on August 8th, emerged as a great success and testimony to the power of sports during times of such adversity.
T
he Summer Olympic Games is the most highprofile sporting event on the planet, the pinnacle for athletes in their prime to test and prove themselves against the best, an occasion when the world convenes and unites under the communal banner of sport. As we are all fully aware, the Tokyo 2020 Games almost never went ahead due to the COVID-19 pandemic that has brought the world to its knees. Originally scheduled for July 2020, it was deferred a full year, during which time it was literally anyone’s guess as to whether the occasion
would proceed or not. Right up to the last minute there were still serious reservations and whispers that it would not go ahead. Residents of Tokyo and Japan were dubious to say the least, reluctant, unwilling even, to welcome the world’s largest sports event to their capital during a time of such uncertainty and fear. Many felt their country was being held hostage in effect by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) who, with billions of dollars on the line, had insisted the occasion proceed, seemingly prioritising profit over the health of a nation who didn’t want to play ball.
