Overseas Spectators will be Banned from Tokyo Olympics due to COVID-19 Risks

"I definitely think it’s undervalued," he said. "It doesn’t seem to be consistent with what they’ve done with other vault values, and I don’t know why they do that."

By comparison, the same vault on the men's side was a 0.4 increase from the next-most difficult vault. This is just 0.2 higher. "There’s no point in putting up a fight because they're not going to reward the correct value," Biles said. "So we’re going to take it and just be quiet."

But that's not fair.

The greatest athletes -- think Phelps, Bolt, Serena, Brady -- all make what they do look easy, even though it isn't. Their accomplishments, impressive in the moment, become even more remarkable with time.

But the appreciation we have for those athletes' accomplishments feels more accurate, more reflective of their magnitude. Maybe because, in Brady's case, he plays a sport that is engrained in American society. Maybe because, with Phelps and Bolt, they are judged by an objective measure, time. Maybe because, with Serena, she plays on while so many others have come and gone.

It's harder for us mere mortals to wrap our heads around exactly what Biles is doing, and the sheer difficulty of it.

That is our problem, not hers. Yet she's the one who is short-changed.

Appreciate her now. While you still have the chance. Because someday, we'll all understand just how otherworldly she is, and wish we had one more chance to witness it.

Special Note - View the Biles Vault on Twitter

www.usatoday.com/story/sports/columnist/nancyarmour/2021/05/22/simone-biles-us-classicyurchnko-vault-history/5228200001

By H.J. MAI

THIS YEAR'S TOKYO OLYMPIC AND

PARALYMPIC GAMES will take place without any overseas spectators after organizers decided to ban international fans from attending the events over COVID-19 concerns.

The decision was made during a virtual meeting between the various stakeholders. "Based on the present situation of the pandemic, it is highly unlikely that entry into Japan will be guaranteed this summer for people from overseas," the Olympic organizing committee said in a statement. "In order to give clarity to ticket holders living overseas and to enable them to adjust their travel plans at this stage, the parties on the Japanese side have come to the conclusion that they will not be able to enter into Japan at the time of the Olympic and Paralympic Games."

The International Olympic Committee and International Paralympic Committee said they fully respect and accept the move.

"We have to take decisions that may need sacrifice from everybody," IOC President Thomas Bach said.

Overseas fans who purchased tickets for the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games will receive a refund. More information on the refund mechanism will be available in the future, according a statement.

The Olympic Opening Ceremony is scheduled for July 23, with the Paralympics set to start on Aug. 24.

www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-liveupdates/2021/03/20/979489573/overseasspectators-will-be-banned-from-tokyo-olympicsdue-to-covid-19-risks Image credit: Inside The Games