The Tokyo2020 Olympics: Lessons & Stories Behind The Scenes.
Examples of leadership, perseverance, discipline, passion, inspiration, self-esteem, teamwork and pursuit of excellence right in front of our eyes.
Every 4 years, we get a glimpse into the world of high-level competition in sports we know and those we don’t. We witness athletes from countries that we are not sure of location put themselves on display for the world to see. We see the glorious, the heartbreaking, the joy and disappointment. Many of these athletes struggle to make a living. Funding and support from country of origin is often inconsistent.
Sports fans are glued to their devices and non-sports fans are casually interested. The stories are compelling, they are real, they are raw.
When we think about it, every 4 years elite level athletes put their training on display. Training and frequency of competition have evolved since I first noticed the Olympics in 1972. In Montreal as a kid, the 1976 Olympics live on to this day for multiple reasons, including a snapshot into the business of the Olympics and mismanagement that costs taxpayers millions. I think the good folks of Quebec might still be paying for those!!
First off, the Tokyo Olympics highlight what a ride the last 17 months have been in its very name.
The Tokyo2020 Olympics are being held in 2021. Not sure this has ever happened before.
That is not to say the Olympics have been void of tragedy or unique circumstances. In my lifetime, we had the tragedy at the 1972 Munich Olympics, the boycott of the 1980 Olympics, the bombing at the Atlanta 1996 Olympics just to name a few. Having last years’ Olympics this year seems to warrant adding to that list. The unique circumstances also reflect the power of adapting, changing plans and modifying based on events out of our control.
The host country stands to lose over a billion dollars due to no fan attendance and the impact on their tourism economy. Will this mark the beginning of the end of the feasibility of the Olympics for host countries?
Not to mention the participants.
Athletes and officials travel in a pandemic, put up with massive inconveniences and obstacles just to attend and participate. Of course, this just adds to the challenges faced in preparing for a competition that gets postponed 1 year.
The stories that come from the first part of the Olympics have not disappointed. As a coach, parent and a fan, I am compelled by human interest stories.
First of all, in this day and age we have been reminded of the difficult and challenging. Harmful influences we see in youth sports is also present on the world stage at the Olympics.
Lack of understanding mental health has becoming documented off the top. We have also witnessed in Tokyo the labelling and dividing of athletes and excessive expectations. We also witnessed the positive, perseverance, discipline, commitment, inclusiveness, joy of participating and competition.
Lessons from Olympians, Tokyo2020 edition:
The Canadian Women’s Rugby team overcame a lot, as did all athletes just to compete in the Rugby 7s in Tokyo. Despite their best efforts, the outcome will finish no higher than 9th. This is below expectations for this group. Only in the last 24 hours has the team come forward exposing some of the abusive and misogynistic behavior they have been exposed to, within their organization. As challenging as this is to understand, it is only through sharing this kind of story are we able to identify exactly how words and social media can be damaging. The members of the Canadian Womens Rugby 7s Team are heroes.
Simone Biles from the USA is arguably the greatest and most decorated gymnast who has ever competed. At 24 years old, she is 2nd Olympics in Tokyo. With a combined total of 31 Olympic and World Championship medals, Biles is the most decorated American gymnast and is one of the greatest and most dominant gymnasts of all time. She has overcome racism and prejudice, sexual abuse at the hands of one of the worst offenders we have ever seen in the sport, and many other obstacles yet continues to not only compete, but excel. Her withdrawal from Olympic competition citing health concerns sparked an outcry of criticism and degrading commentary via various internet platforms. Having said that, many have come to her defense. It has recently come out that part of the health issue is related to vertigo, an affliction that has a minor impact on flying through the air!(sic). We are reminded of the good and bad here, but really the importance of supporting our athletes if they don’t feel up to competition. Simone Biles is a hero.
Brent Hayden is one of the most decorated swimmers in Canadian history. He last competed in 2012, and post competition went through severe depression as well as physical challenges. Since that time he has also re-kindled his love of swimming and competition and comeback to compete for Canada at 37 years. His story is remarkable and speaks to a depression amount of courage and a massive support network. Brent Hayden is a hero.
Hayden posted on social media on July 31:
I am still processing everything. It is such a weird state of confusion when you are torn between the pure competitor in you who realizes you missed the finals by 0.04 seconds and the human who realizes that despite 7 years away from the sport, 2 years of training through a pandemic, at 37 years of age, I came within only 0.04 seconds from the Olympic final. I knew coming out of retirement so many years later how much of a challenge it would be just to make the team. In the end, I became the oldest swimmer ever to swim 100m free below 48 seconds, nearly won a medal on a relay we were not expected to be competitive in, and posted my fastest ever post body suit 50m freestyle time and my best ever Olympic ranking in that event. That's the performance side of things. On the other side I genuinely just loved the whole journey. That's not to say every day was fun. There were a lot of bad training days, a lot of frustration and tears. But they were all worth it for the good moments. As my coach always says, sometimes you gotta get through the bad sh*t to get to the good sh*t. Thank you everyone who believed in me. I want to thank my fans who have shown me so much love and support and I want to welcome the new ones who have been inspired by my journey. The big question is, Paris? That's a big unknown right now. But I have the love and support of an amazing wife back home who already supports me to keep going. So I'm going to take it one step at a time and just see where this journey goes from here. If the heart keeps going and the body is able to keep up... then I'll keep going. Much love to everyone.
Quote Courtesy of https://www.facebook.com/thebrenthayden
Photo courtesy of Ian Macnicol
Bethany Shriever is an Olympian from Great Britain who competed in BMX racing. At the Tokyo2020 Olympics, she won the gold medal in the racing event. Her win was an upset over the favored Colombians. As with many athletes, Bethany’s backstory came to light post competition. Taking to BMX racing as a young person on a 2nd hand bike after her school encouraged her to give it a go. At 22 years old, her experience has included overcoming multiple devastating injuries, having her funding pulled and raising 50,000 pounds ($70,000 USD) just to be able to compete. Bethany Shriever is a hero.
Flora Duffy is a triathlete from Bermuda who competed in the Tokyo2020 Olympics without a bike mechanic or coach. At 33 years old, her Olympic journey has been incredible to say the least. In 2008, she did not finish the Olympic competition after being lapped. In 2012 Olympics she crashed her bike, finishing 45th, and this past week she has won Bermuda’s first even gold medal. Incredible. Flora Duffy is a hero.
Jessica Sevick is a Canadian Olympian in rowing. At 12 years old she suffered a sever brain injury in a luge training run. Since that time her rehabilitation (which continues to this day), has included persevering and training to qualify for the Olympics. The obstacles that she has overcome would knock most down for the count, however, she was not to be denied. Jessica Sevick is a hero.
Imagine an Olympic athlete with no place to train. No equipment, nothing. Yet, that is the obstacle many had to overcome during the pandemic. At the Olympic level, losing your training effect can happen fast, and take months to rebuild. Therefore to compete at the world class level it is not really an option to not train. This obstacle is highlighted by the story behind Hidilyn Diaz of the Phillipines. Yes, she is an Olympic champion now, bringing glory to her home country in weightlifting. The many obstacles she had to overcome (are we seeing a theme in these stories?), included finding ways to create her own home gym set up! Hidilyn Diaz is a hero.
Photos courtesy of https://www.instagram.com/hidilyndiaz/
It is hard to believe that an athlete would move away to another country and compete there when things did not go according to the path desired. Regardless of political perspective, leaving your home country would be a massive decision. This Iranian athlete left his country after being told to lose on purpose. Saeid Mollaei won a silver medal in judo this past week. 2 years ago he was told to lose on purpose to avoid a final matchup with an Israeli athlete. This past week he dedicated his medal to Israel. Athletes never cease to amaze in courage in putting themselves on display for the world to judge and competition to rate. Exposing himself and his family to harm for this strong stance deserved respect, and perhaps there is a lesson in putting differences aside around bigger conflict. Saied Mollaei is a hero.
46 years old is not typically an age of competition at the Olympics, it is the age of young grandparenthood for some, and parental time for sure for many. Oksana Chusovitina is an 8 time Olympian who first competed for the soviet union at Barcelona in 1992. In a sport where youth is commonplace, can you imagine the commitment to compete over 30+ years? Oh, and I did I mention she raised a son who battled leukemia? Oksana Chusovitina was recognized with a standing ovation during her last performance and she is a hero!
The common denominator beyond courage and perseverance to these stories are that these qualities are athlete initiated. The athlete who is committed and inspired will find a way.
Yes, they all likely had very important support networks, but not what you think.
No coach? No bike mechanic? No Funding? No place to train? Depression? Age? Injury? Previous performance below expectations?
These setbacks have hindered and stopped many, but not this group.
We are all capable of exhibiting Olympic caliber values.
We don’t need to be Olympic athletes to support and contribute to youth sports without judgement or expectation.
These stories remind us of what is possible.