The Tokyo Olympics 2020 have proven to be the year’s most controversial event. The festival began on July 23rd in Tokyo, which is famed for its historic shrines and temples. The festival will run through August 8, 2021. Originally scheduled to take place from 24 July to 9 August 2020 was postponed due to COVID hence, the official name of the event is Tokyo Olympics 2020.
A total of 110090 athletes from over 205 countries are competing in 33 sports at the tournament.
The event has risen to the top of the global agenda. Starting with International Olympic Committee (IOC) declared that athletes wearing gear with the Black Lives Matter slogan would be barred from competing in the Tokyo Olympics in May 2021.
After that, when the event started, it garnered a lot of issues like:
- Mental Health: When gymnast Simon Biles withdrew from her US team due to mental health issues, the matter of mental health was raised. Players spoke up about how a sport affects their mental abilities and more backed this move.
More individuals are becoming aware of the importance of mental health and why it is so important to maintain inner peace and mental stability.
- Over-sexualized clothes of Female Athletes: Gymnasts from Germany competed in Tokyo wearing unitards that covered their legs to the ankles, sending a protest against uniforms that they think abuse their sexuality.
A month before the Olympics, on July 18, 2021, at the Beach Handball Euro 2021 competition, a more aggressive protest was launched. Norway’s women refused to play in bikini bottoms, opting instead for skin-tight shorts. They were reprimanded for failing to adhere to the dress code.
The sole reason behind all this is to see women as athletes, not as sexy or hot in over-sexualized clothes. Overall, these debates aided athletes in choosing their best alternatives rather than following the restrictions that were imposed on them.
Don’t forget the goal of the Olympics is to help construct a more peaceful and better world by teaching children via sport, which must be performed without prejudice and in the Olympic spirit, which needs mutual understanding, solidarity, and fair play.