At olympics Tokyo 2020, which ended up taking place in 2021, sent a great message to the whole world: the overcoming conquered by discipline, method and focus. Japan, one of the most conservative countries, put on a show for the whole world.
If we could talk about a legacy left in these games, we could say that each person is special and plays a different and relevant role in society, so people need to treat each other more as individuals and less as groups.
Japan had already hosted the Olympics in 1964, in the so-called “Summer Olympic Games”, and later the Winter Games in 1972 and 1998. It happens that decades before, Japan was selected to host the Olympic Games.
Specifically in 1936, when Tokyo was chosen to host the games, but unfortunately with the outbreak of World War II in 1940, the idea of keeping the games was abandoned.
Índice de Conteúdo
The interference of COVID-19 in games
Who would have thought that almost 100 years later, Japan would have the opportunity to host the games again, but with the advent of the coronavirus pandemic, the dream would be postponed once again, after all, the focus in 2020 was on thermometer calibration and non-agglomeration.
In addition, it is important to reinforce that the world this time was facing a powerful and invisible enemy, COVID-19. So, the year 2020 was extremely melancholy and complicated for many people, such as athletes.
After all, they were training the way they could, that is, many were preparing at home, in adapted environments, mainly to be able to maintain their focus and physical lineage at the time, to win the long-awaited gold medal.
It was necessary to use a alignment machine, as well as the construction of platforms that simulated the sea, a court and even gyms. Technology was of great help in this regard and turned out to be the great helper of these athletes.
Much was said about whether or not it was possible to hold the games, much discussion was made around strict protocols that aimed to protect athletes and people who work directly on the Olympic committee.
Let's now look at some of the main highlights that we've gathered about the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which took place in 2021. Focusing, even, on this very complicated period and the lessons it left us.
Exemplary Japanese-style organization
That the Japanese are organized is no doubt in anyone's mind, but it's impressive when you see it up close. All systems properly organized according to the needs of each sport, athlete and the like.
Everything was already prepared in advance and there was not what is common in Brazil, the famous “jeitinho”. The games took place in an extremely organized manner and strictly followed the protocols with private security companies and other needs.
It is extremely difficult to pull any kind of error, scandal or sporadic event related to the organization of the event. There was an attempt to show people a highly technological world, but the pandemic has somewhat undermined that desire.
Despite this, it was still possible to see a lot of the country's technology, such as the large hologram made by drones at the time of the opening of the games. Finally, thanks to all this effort, there were no outbreaks of COVID cases within the Olympic Village, something incredible.
Olympic and Sustainable Games
There are many studies that say that a sportsman's performance comes from his ability to make an internal connection with natural instincts and perform them within a sport under specific conditions.
Japan understood that in order to create a healthier and more competitive environment, it was necessary to use a highly sustainable space, showing that technological advances reduce the degradation of the world and not the opposite.
More than 5,000 medals were made using 80 million tons of electronic waste collected. In addition to being able to reuse more than 6 thousand cell phones. The Olympic podiums were built from plastic packaging.
It was quite common to have environmental consulting companies interested in participating in these projects, since it was a high demand, and thanks to that it was possible to build a better world.
The model presented by Japan should be based on the Paris Games in 2024, which promises to expand this type of sustainable action within the new reality of the world.
The article is still halfway through, but we recommend also reading:
Athletes' decisions during the games
The 24-year-old American gymnast Simone Biles at the height of her 146 centimeters was widely regarded as the clear favorite to win every gold medal in Olympic gymnastics, wherever she competed.
However, after the first day in which he presented a somewhat negative result, he decided to give up participating in the other competitions, due to the need to deal with problems related to his mental health.
Simone would still win a Bronze medal on the beam, which would mark her second consecutive medal in the competition, the first being in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. Simone's attitude was the subject of several discussions around the world.
These are problems that need to be taken into account, since a large part of society competes, but unfortunately these are terms that are rarely addressed by people, without any clamping elements to help with that.
News from the 2020 Olympics
The Tokyo games were marked by the debut of five new sports, they were:
- Surfing;
- Skateboard;
- Karate;
- Escalada esportiva;
- Baseball/softball.
So, the Olympic Games now have 46 modalities, and Brazil had great chances of getting a gold medal in two of them: Surfing and Karate. Right at the beginning of the competitions, the public went crazy on the Female Skate.
And at just 13 years old, Rayssa Leal became the youngest Olympic medalist in the history of Brazil, or as the world learned to call her, the Fairy. It was exciting, as the sportsmanship hovered throughout the competition.
Brazil also secured a medal in skateboarding at the Tokyo Olympics. Pedro Barros, 26, won a silver medal in the men's park category. It practically took a CO2 extinguisher to delete calls from Brazilians that day.
Already the first gold medal of Brazil happened with the native Ítalo Ferreira. However, there was a detail for the controversial decision that took the favorite Gabriel Medina out of the final, taking the dreamed Brazilian double.
Brazil would still finish the games with other outstanding names such as Rebeca Andrade in Artistic Gymnastics, women's vault. Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze with the second Olympic championship in sailing, in addition to the second Olympic championship in men's football/soccer.
Totaling 21 medals, two more than Rio 2016. They were: 7 gold medals, six silver and 8 bronze. A historic feat, which will be marked in everyone's heart.
We also recommend reading our article on Paralympics in Japan.
Legacy of the Olympic Games
We have seen throughout the article the main challenges that compromise the delivery of the Olympic Games in 2020, but which were overcome in 2021. It is not possible to discard the feeling of emptiness brought about by the lack of audience.
Japan is a country marked by the consumption of famous anime and certain characters that marked the childhood of many people. All these components were not possible to be used the way it was intended.
Despite everything, the games went wonderfully well, contrary to what many critics said. Showing that effort and cooperation are capable of solving many problems.
There are also great stories of overcoming from athletes who tried their best. Other stories are also worth mentioning, as well as the commitment of all Japanese people to deliver the best games, under numerous determinations that limited people's actions.
The great legacy these Olympics bring to everyone is the ability for people, as unique individuals, to help one another through their personal experiences as well as life stories.
Another very striking point at the Olympics was the way people cheered even with the distance, even using a safety cap and other items such as custom t-shirts and banners.
Without that, what would have motivated Simone Biles to return to competition on the final day? What would motivate Daniel Cargnin to dedicate the bronze to his mother after suffering serious injuries? In addition to many other athletes who made a name for themselves at that time.
Well, what is clear is that the professionals who worked on the games need to be remembered, something that will certainly happen, mainly because they take care of everything very carefully, preventing the disease from taking new proportions.
These were the Tokyo 2020 games, which gave a show of technology and care, going from the dedicated transport of athletes until the moment when matches and competitions began to take place.
