On 1 March 2023, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced details of the Olympic Esports Series 2023, a global virtual and simulated sports competition created by the IOC and in collaboration with International Federations (IFs) and game publishers.
The initially confirmed featured games across nine sports are:
Archery (World Archery Federation, Tic Tac Bow),
Baseball (World Baseball Softball Confederation, WBSC eBASEBALL™: POWER PROS),
Chess (International Chess Federation, Chess.com),
Cycling (UCI, Zwift),
Dance (World DanceSport Federation, JustDance)
Motor sport (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile, Gran Turismo).
Sailing (World Sailing, Virtual Regatta),
Taekwondo (World Taekwondo, Virtual Taekwondo)
Tennis (International Tennis Federation, Tennis Clash),
The Olympic Esports Series 2023 begins today, when both professional and amateur players from around the world are invited to take part in qualification rounds across a host of the featured games.
The Olympic Esports Series 2023 will culminate in live, in-person finals for the first time, with players having the opportunity to progress to the Olympic Esports Finals 2023. Taking place at Singapore’s Suntec Centre from 22 to 25 June, the finals action will be a highlight of the recently announced Olympic Esports Week 2023.
Coming together in Singapore for this unique competition, the players will compete in front of fans for the prestigious title of Olympic Esports Series winner. The thrilling finals action will be streamed globally across Olympics.com and Olympic social channels.
This evolved format of the IOC’s virtual competition builds on the successes of the Olympic Virtual Series. The 2021 series, which took place ahead of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, attracted over 250,000 participants from across 100 countries to take part in competitions. The Olympic Esports Series 2023 marks another step in supporting the development of virtual sports within the Olympic Movement, as laid out in Olympic Agenda 2020+5, and continues its collaboration with the gaming and esports communities to create new opportunities for players and fans alike.
Speaking at the announcement, David Lappartient, Chair of the IOC Esports Liaison Group, said: “The Olympic Movement brings people together in peaceful competition. The Olympic Esports Series 2023 is a continuation of that, with the ambition of creating more spaces to play for both players and fans of elite competition. We look forward to witnessing some of the world’s best compete on the global stage, as well as exploring together shared opportunities and lessons – across health and wellbeing, training and innovation.”
This follows the recent announcement that Singapore will host the first Olympic Esports Week 2023. Created in partnership with the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, Sport Singapore and the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC), the four-day festival will showcase the very best of virtual sports – including technology exhibitions, show matches, expert panel discussions, and the first live finals of the Olympic Esports Series. The full programme and ticket details for the Olympic Esports Week 2023 will be revealed in April.
(PRNewsGIG/AFTNN) – Malaysian athlete Dato Pandelela Rinong revealed her exclusive non-fungible token (NFT) collectible ‘P.Zero1’, which is up for auction until 31 August 2022 via the digital NFT market, OpenSea. Fans will have the opportunity to bid to become the sole owner of the NFT which unlocks a priceless personalised experience with Pandelela and a framed printout of the NFT hand-delivered by the athlete herself.
(From Left): Jolene Knight, Founder & Brand Manager of Knight Communications, Pandelela Rinong, Nicholas Chuan, the digital artist behind the “P.Zero1” NFT and Yong-Chul Yun, Founder of Prime Sports NFT
Intrigued by the evolving NFT industry globally, Pandelela was driven to create her own line of digital artworks as an expression of her professional and personal journey as an athlete.
My vision for ‘P.Zero1’ was to share a piece of my story with the world and to pay homage to the sport which has drastically changed my life from a young Bidayuh village girl to an internationally recognised sportswoman. The adage ‘Zero to One’ reflects the journey I went through – of fate, perseverance, mental strength and dedication that has taken me thus far as well as this whole process of creating something radically new. It is an exciting phase for me and it challenges me to learn and try new things. As they say – the sky’s the limit and my message is for people to always strive for self-discovery and growth with an unwavering commitment to their goals.
Dato’ Pandelela Rinong, Malaysian Olympian & World Championships medalist
I have seen Lela grow from a shy young lady to a confident and courageous adult who is always curious about the world outside sports. There are so many things for her to learn and so many opportunities to explore to create and establish her own brand – something which she could be proud of. This is her first step towards more exciting things. This project has been months in the making and we are excited to share ‘P.Zero1’with Malaysians and the world. As NFT innovation continues to develop globally, both Pandelela and I are thrilled to venture into this space with the goal of contributing positively and inspiring the youth. We are also thrilled to organise this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the NFT owner to have a tailor-made personalised experience with Pandelela”.
Jolene Knight, Founder and Brand Manager of Knight Communications who has journeyed alongside Pandelela as her Business Manager for 7 years.
Pandelela Rinong holds a framed printout of her NFT collectible – ‘P.Zero1’
Embarking on this creative journey with a prolific athlete like Pandelela has been monumental. Our mission has been to nurture the creative process between athlete and artist while bringing the NFT to market for the fans. We are strong proponents of promoting closer bonds between athletes and fans and are constantly looking for ways to innovate these engagements.”
Founder of Prime Sports International (PSI), Yong-Chul Yun
The collaboration with Pandelela also marks the second initiative and brainchild of Prime Sports NFT which aims to connect the world of sports, arts and culture. Following its recent success with footballer Safee Sali’s ‘SEPULUH’ NFT collection, Prime Sports NFT has been making waves to further partnerships with athletes, artists and partners in the region to be part of the rising industry.
Hailing from Penang, Nicholas Chuan is the digital artist behind Pandelela’s ‘P.Zero1’ NFT who also carries a portfolio of illustrations for world-renowned organisations such as UEFA, Formula 1’s Red Bull Racing, Liverpool FC and FC Bayern and most recently football legend Safee Sali’s ‘SEPULUH’ NFT. “I’m proud to be able to once again represent and work closely with a prominent Malaysian athlete like Pandelela. In addition to her accomplishments, I have always admired her work ethic, determination and courage as a female athlete and wanted to translate her amazing story and core values into ‘P.Zero1’. I hope the fans will enjoy it as much as I have.”
Pandelela’s ‘P.Zero1’ NFT goes live on auction for a period of 7 days beginning 24th August to 31st August 2022 via OpenSea. Fans will have the opportunity to bid to become the exclusive owner of the exclusive NFT which will unlock exciting benefits including a unique personalised experience with Pandelela and a framed printout of ‘P.Zero1’ handed to the NFT owner by the athlete herself.
— Australian Institute of Sport (@theAIS) August 8, 2021
Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) CEO Peter Conde said the success of the Australian team at the Tokyo Olympic Games is a testament not only to our outstanding athletes and coaches, but also the collaboration and teamwork within the nation’s high performance sector.
Australia finished the delayed Games in Japan sixth place on the medal tally and equalled the country’s best ever Olympics in Athens 2004 by winning 17 gold medals, as well as seven silver and 22 bronze. An amazing achievement for a nation of our size.
The achievements from Tokyo included Australia’s best performance in the pool since 1956, inaugural medals in skateboarding, surfing and BXM Freestyle, the first beach volleyball medal since the Sydney Games, the end of a three-decade medal drought in men’s boxing, the Boomers first ever medal in basketball and some outstanding performances and medals in Athletics.
“This is an historic result for sport in Australia and I would like to congratulate every athlete, coach and performance support staff member for an inspirational 19 days in Japan,” Mr Conde said.
“Never before has there been a Games surrounded by so many challenges and uncertainty. Our athletes showed incredible resilience and courage and I couldn’t be happier to see them rewarded by this success.
“Big lessons were learnt following the 2016 Rio Olympic Games and I am proud of the leadership role the AIS has played in helping to unite the high performance sector and support our athletes. Podiums are a measure of success but so is having our athletes and teams as such an incredible source of pride and inspiration for the nation.
“The AIS Gold Medal Ready Program represents the wonderful legacy of Olympic sport, with more than 40 former Olympic and Paralympic gold medal winning athletes and coaches mentoring our current team in the lead up to Tokyo.
“The evolution and advancement of the inaugural National High Performance Sport Strategy, signed by all states and territory sporting bodies in 2018, has strengthened collaborative partnerships across the whole sporting sector and provided a collective vision for sport in Australia. I would like to thank all our partners in the National Institute Network for their hard work and contribution to the success we have seen in Japan.”
“It’s fantastic for the future to see that 13 of the record equalling 17 medals won featured at least one athlete making their Olympic debut. We also saw athletes such as Rohan Browning and Peter Bol make huge statements on the world stage, showing that their best is yet to come,” Mr Conde said.
“The future of Australian sport is looking bright and the AIS is proud to play a part in supporting our athletes as the focus turns to Paris and beyond. Through Federal Government investment, the AIS provides $14 million per annum in direct support to athletes through dAIS grants, and in the lead up to Tokyo. Thanks to the Australian Government, this funding will continue through to 2024, along with significant funding support for National Sporting Organisations to provide coaching, performance support, international competition, performance pathways programs and wellbeing programs, enabling the AIS to carry on supporting Australian high performance sport.”
“On behalf of everyone at the AIS, I would like to congratulate Matt Carroll as CEO and Ian Chesterman as Chef de Mission and the entire Australian Olympic Committee. There were many who doubted whether the Games could or should go ahead, and the work done by the AOC to get our athletes to Tokyo and keep them safe is extraordinary. Their determination to provide an outstanding performance-focused environment at the Games was pivotal.
“While we will miss tuning in every day to see our Australian Olympians achieve the remarkable, the good news is that we are just over a week away from the start of the Paralympic Games. On behalf of the AIS, I wish all our Paralympians preparing for Tokyo good luck and we can’t wait to see you perform on the world stage.”
Last update 10/8/2021, first published 22/7/2021 with fresh updates on Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in 2021 (23 July – 8 August) & Paralympic Games (24 August – 5 September) with a focus on athletes from the Asia Pacific region.
Asian athletes had a record medal haul at Tokyo 2020, with the region growing ever more prominent since Japan became the Games' first Asian host in 1964.
OVERALL Australia’s fourth place medal ranking at Tokyo 2020 was impressive, the best so far and received a congratulatory acknowledgement from the Australian Institute of Sport (read more). Watersport was a winner with 35 Aussies competing in the swimming pool and 26 in water polo, with a total of 483 participants for Team Australia. Medals were brought home in these areas of sport; athletics, basketball, beach volleyball, boxing, canoe, cycling bmx, cycling track, diving, equestrian, hockey, rowing, skateboard, sailing, swimming & tennis.
CYCLING KEIRIN Silver medalist Mohd Azizulhasni Awang of Team Malaysia was pride of his country during the medal ceremony at the Men’s Keirin final on day 16 at Izu Velodrome in Shizuoka. The 33-year-old’s hope for gold was crushed by Great Britain’sJason Kenny. Known as the “Pocket Rocketman”, Azizulhasni is now the proud owner of two Olympic medals after winning a bronze in Rio 2016.
DIVING WRAP-UP Singaporean diver Jonathan Chang’s journey to Tokyo 2020 stemmed from a Youth Olympic Games (YOG) spectator in 2010 and competitor in 2014, to the Tokyo 2020 Games where he is set to become his nation’s first male Olympic diver.
Seven out of eight gold medals won by China, with Great Britain taking the other one, just as at Rio 2016.
Leading the way for China were powerhouse divers XIE Siyi(Men’s 3m springboard gold medal) and SHI Tingmao (Women’s 3m Springboard Final), who both landed two gold medals.
Great Britain’s Tom Daley (Men’s 10m Synchro) closed in and took home the gold. Daley made his Olympic debut as a 14-year-old at Beijing 2008.
14-year-old QUAN Hongchan scored three 10s to win the Women’s 10m platform final.
Individual
Men’s 3m springboard
Gold: XIE Siyi (CHN)
Silver: WANG Zongyuan (CHN)
Bronze: Jack Laugher (GB)
Women’s 3m springboard
Gold: SHI Tingmao (CHN)
Silver: WANG Han (CHN)
Bronze: Krysta Palmer (USA)
Men’s 10m platform
Gold: CAO Yuan (CHN)
Silver: YANG Jian (CHN)
Bronze: Tom Daley (GB)
Women’s 10m platform
Gold: QUAN Hongchan (CHN)
Silver: CHEN Yuxi (CHN)
Bronze: Melissa Wu (AUS)
31/7/2021
Major coverage roundup on badminton. The Badminton World Federation announced 87 male and 86 female players competed at Tokyo 2020.
Wang Yi Lyu and Huang Dong Ping had lost 10 of 12 finals to Zheng Si Wei and Huang Ya Qiong, but with their superlative show in the #Tokyo2020 final, the challengers stepped out of the shadows of their illustrious compatriots.@Olympics#RaiseARacket 🏸https://t.co/PRxyMKhnAn
BADMINTON, MEN’S DOUBLES Lee Yang and Wang Chi-Lin, representing Chinese Taipei are the happy Gold Medallists winning against China’s Li Jun Hui and Liu Yu Chen on day eight of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Musashino Forest Sport Plaza. The game lasted 34 minutes with a score: 21-18, 21-12. No. 2 seeds, Indonesia’s Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan were beaten by the same Chinese Taipei pair 21-11, 21-10 in one of the two semifinals, and Malaysians Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik take home the Bronze.
Indonesia
China
Republic of Korea
BADMINTON, WOMEN’S DOUBLES
A huge surprise but a gleam evident on the faces of Greysia Polii and Apriyani Rahayu for bringing home Indonesia’s first ever Olympic Women’s Doubles Gold, while China’s Chen Qing Chen and Jia Yi Fan settle for silver on day ten. Republic of Korea’s Kim Soyeong and Kong Heeyong won the bronze medal.
Wang Yi Lyu and Huang Dong Ping of China win gold in an all China final! They beat Zheng Si Wei and Huang Ya Qiong after a thrilling final. Japan’s WATANABE Yuta and HIGASHINO Arisa won the bronze medal against TANG Chun Man and TSE Ying Suet from Hong Kong, China in two straight sets 21-17 and 23-21.
Denmark
China
Indonesia
BADMINTON, MEN’S SINGLES China’s CHEN Long, the only reigning champion to defend his title in Japan against Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen in the gold-medal match will have to be happy with a silver. Anthony Ginting of Indonesia brings home the bronze after a 21-11, 21-13 against Kevin Cordon of Guatemala, the first Latin American player to reach the semi-finals of an Olympic badminton tournament.
BADMINTON, WOMEN’S SINGLES China’s CHEN Yu Fei beat world number one Chinese Taipei’s TAI Tzu-Ying in a thrilling two sets to one final of the women’s badminton singles at Tokyo 2020. World champion and Rio 2016 silver medallist India’s Pusarla took home the bronze after beating China’s HE Bing Jao by two sets: 21-13, 21-15.
29/7/2021
ARTISTIC GYMNASTICS She’s the first gymnast of Asian descent to win the women’s all-round. She’s from Minnesota, USA and also the first Hmong-American to make the Olympic team. #hmong
TABLE TENNIS China vs. China CHEN Meng has won over country mate SUN Yingsha in the Women’s Singles to bring home Gold and Silver. Japan’s ITO Mima wins the Bronze, her second medal after winning Gold at the mixed doubles yesterday. China has won every gold medal in women’s singles since the sport’s Olympic debut in Seoul 1988.
SWIMMING Australia’s prowess at the pool was challenged at the Women’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay today. China wins gold and smashes Australia’s 2019 world record at 7:40:33.
29 July- #Swimming – Women’s 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay
In the 200m Women’s Butterfly, ZHANG Yufei (CHN) takes the gold in a new Olympic record time 2:03.86, with USA’s Smith in second and Flickinger taking bronze.
JUDO Japan’s HAMADA Shori takes the gold medal home winning against Madeleine Malonga of France. Anna-Maria Wagner (GER) and Mayra Aguiar (BRA) won bronze.
28/7/2021
SWIMMING: Japan’s golden girl Ohashi Yui wins the women’s 200m individual medley to add to her 400m IM title!
Aussies golden girl Ariarne Titmus (AUS) wins top spot and sets an Olympic record of 1:53.92 for the 400m! Silver for Haughey and bronze to Oleksiak – Ledecky was fifth.
In the Men’s 80kg category, IN Kyo Don (KOR) wins bronze.
WEIGHTLIFTING Taiwan has clinched a bronze medal in the Women’s 64KG category – well done,🥉CHEN Wen-Huei (TPE) – 230kg
KUO Hsing-chun (TPE) powers her way to gold in the women’s 59kg weightlifting. Silver goes to Turkmenistan – that country’s first ever Olympic medal. ANDOH Mikiko (JPN) took bronze. KUO has broken the #Olympics records in the snatch, clean & jerk and overall in #weightlifting 59kg.
KUO Hsing-chun didn't just claim Olympic #gold at #Tokyo2020
JUDO NAGASE Takanori (JPN) has won men’s -81kg gold against Saeid Mollaei from Mongolia.
26/7/2021 SUMMARY: Athletes from 46 countries have clinched medals and of that, 11 are Asia Pacific countries with host nation Japan leading the way at top No. 1 spot, P.R. of China in 3rd place, R. of Korea in 6th place followed by Australia in 7th position. Tied on 16th spot are Hong Kong, China, Philippines & Thailand, Chinese Taipei in 25th and Indonesia 28th place, India 33rd and New Zealand 46th.
TABLE TENNIS MIZUTANI Jun and ITO Mima (JPN) left opponents XU Xin / LIU Shiwen (CHN) shell shocked with a GOLD WIN for the host country, ending China’s winning streak since Athens 2004!
Taiwanese duo LIN Yun-ju / CHENG I-Ching (TPE) won over the French to bring home a bronze in the mixed doubles match.
JUDO ONO Shohei (JPN) wins men’s 73KG, silver goes to Lasha Shavdatuashvili (GEO), bronze to AN Changrim (KOR) and Rosgtbaatar Tsendochir (MGL).
WEIGHTLIFTING Philippine’s FIRST GOLD MEDAL! Hidilyn Diaz brings home the GOLD for 55KG, beating LIAO Qiuyun (CHN) by 1KG with a total of 224KG for an Olympic record! Bronze goes to Zulfiya Chinshanlo (KAZ).
FENCING Hong Kong China’s FIRST EVER MEN’S OLYMPIC GOLD! CHEUNG Ka Long (HKG) brings it home beating Daniele Garozzo (ITA).
SWIMMING WANG Jianjiahe (CHN) sets an Asian record 15:41:49 in the Women’s 1500m freestyle heats.
ARTISTIC GYMNASTICS A tight race to the top between ROC and CHN
SKATEBOARDING: 13-year old NISHIYA Momiji (JAPAN) has won the Olympics first female Skateboarding Gold medal – women’s street at #Tokyo2020, Rayssa Leal (BRAZIL) silver and NAKAYAMA Funa (JPN) bronze!
Medal tally as of today, with APAC countries pinned
25/7/2021: SWIMMING Aussie Swim Team brings home Gold, Silver & Bronze medals & a world record Women’s 4x100m. The Dolphins clocked in at 3:29:69, smashing the World Record. The Aussies won Olympic gold in London 2012 and Rio 2016 and at the 2014 and 2018 Commonwealth Games.
In the Men’s 400m Freestyle, Australian Jack McLoughlin came second to Tunisia’s Ahmed Hafnaoui, while bronze went to American Kieran Smith.
Dolphin Brendon Smith won bronze in the men’s 400m individual medley.
24/7/2021: Update from #Tokyo2020
JUDO Naohisa Takato brings home Japan’s first GOLD medal in the men’s -60kg judo. Silver goes to Yang Yung-wei of Taiwan and bronze to Yeldos Smetov of Kazakhstan and Luka Mkheidze of France.
24/7/2021: TAEKWONDO Panipak Wongpattanakit of Team Thailand wins GOLD at the Women’s -49kg Taekwondo category on day one of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Makuhari Messe Hall in Chiba, Japan. Spain’s Adriana Cerezo Iglesias brought home the silver while bronze went to Israel’s Abishag Semberg and Serbia’s Tijana Bogdanovic.
24/7/21: WEIGHTLIFTING Congratulations team Indonesia – women’s weightlifting (49KG) Windy Cantikah Aisah for winning the first medal for ASEAN nations. She registered a total lift of 194kg, with a snatch of 84kg and a clean and jerk of 110kg, coming in third place after India (silver) and China (gold).
24/7/21: SHOOTING China picks up the first gold medal at the Olympic Games! On the first day of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, YANG Qian, 21, from the People’s Republic of China, won the first gold medal of the Games in the 10m air rifle.
IOC president Thomas Bach presented Yang with her gold medal, as well as silver to Anastasiia Galashina from ROC and the bronze to Switzerland’s Nina Christen, but due to COVID-19 countermeasures in these unique Games, they collected their own medals from a tray and placed it around their own necks.
23/7/21: IOC President Thomas Bach delivers opening speech
“This feeling of togetherness – this is the light at the end of the dark tunnel.
The pandemic forced us to be apart. To keep our distance from each other. To stay away even from our loved ones. This separation made this tunnel so dark.
But today, wherever in the world you may be, we are united in sharing this moment together. The Olympic flame makes this light shine brighter for all of us…” Source: IOC
23/7/21: Indonesia to launch bid to host Olympic Games in 2036
Indonesia, which is the world’s fourth most populous country with more than 270 million people, is trying to become only the fourth Asian country to host the Games after Japan, China and South Korea. Source: The Star
23/7/21: Animated short film “Tomorrow’s Leaves” releases worldwide today
Commissioned by the Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage (OFCH), and produced by the Academy Award-nominated Yoshiaki Nishimura of Studio Ponoc, the film provides a fresh perspective on the Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect. Source: IOC
21/7/21: The Youth Olympic Games on track
Gangwon 2024 draws upon the successful delivery of the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018, and aims to continue their vision of bringing winter sport to a new generation of athletes.
Dakar 2026 – The postponement of the Dakar Youth Olympic Games from 2022 to 2026 will strengthen the mobilisation of young people in the organisation.
21/7/21: IOC elects Brisbane 2032 as Olympic and Paralympic host
International Olympic Committee Members today voted to elect Brisbane 2032 as host of the Games of the XXXV Olympiad. Brisbane received 72 yes and 5 no votes from 77 valid votes.
20/7/21: IOC Session welcomes Refugee Olympic Team Tokyo 2020.
The members of the IOC Refugee Olympic Team (EOR) Tokyo 2020 were welcomed today by the IOC Session. Athlete representative Yiech Pur Biel addressed the IOC Members on behalf of the team. Biel competed at the first Refugee Olympic Team Rio 2016. He said, “My experience of being part of the Refugee Olympic Team changed my life. It opened up opportunities for me, such as joining the Olympic Refuge Foundation as a Board member, becoming a Goodwill Ambassador for the UNHCR and moving to train and live in the United States of America. I would never have thought that my dreams would become a reality when living in the Kakuma refugee settlement in northern Kenya. Most importantly, I can now call myself an Olympian, which makes me proud every day.”
Videos:
Constellation of drones form globe at Tokyo opening ceremony – Source: Reuters
TOP 10 most medalled female Olympic badminton players! – Source: IOC Channel
Last 5 Champions of Women’s 4x100m Freestyle Relay 🏊♀️ Source: IOC Channel
Evolution of Diving at the Olympics! Source: IOC Channel
India’s Top Pistol Shooter Manu Bakher | Jee Jaan Se – Source: IOC Channel
The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in 2021 competition schedule features a 33 sports, 339 medal events held across 42 venues. The Games will open on 23 July 2021 and close on 8 August.
21 July: Actual competition starts two days before the Opening Ceremony with softball in Fukushima – in line with the Games’s theme of recovery.
24 July: The first medals of the Games are awarded on 24 July in the women’s 10m air rifle shooting event. 11 medal events takes place today including judo, the sport in which Japan normally wins their first medal of an Olympics. New sport, 3×3 basketball will take court.
25 July: Skateboarding (street) & surfing.
31 July: “Super Saturday” features 21 medal events, four debut games: the 4×400 mixed relay in athletics, judo mixed team, triathlon mixed relay, and shooting trap mixed team.
1 August: “Golden Sunday” will see 25 gold medals given out, including the men’s 100m in athletics as well as four artistic gymnastics events. The men’s tennis singles final is also on the cards.
3 August: Sport climbing
5 August: Karate
7 August: Tokyo 2020 peaks today with 34 medal events being held, such as the women’s marathon in Sapporo and the finals for baseball, men’s basketball, football and volleyball.
Catch Malaysia’s darling at the dive boards – Pandelela Rinong who has won first two Olympic medal and five World Championships. A Sabahan from Malaysia’s Borneo, Pandelela was the First Female Athlete to win a gold medal for her country. Watch her in action on 27/7/2021
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) launched “What Agnes Saw” – a film which features the oldest-living Olympic champion, Agnes Keleti, and the 13-year-old British skateboarding prodigy Sky Brown. The video juxtaposes the wisdom of age with the passion of youth to offer a light in the darkness and remind us of the moments of hope and inspiration that occur when the world comes together for the Olympic Games.
Agnes is a reminder of the power of resilience, and proof that one can experience the worst aspects of humanity and, against all odds, rise above it. This film is a part of the IOC’s StrongerTogether campaign and reminds us of the importance of having inner resilience. It reflects the Olympic motto: “faster, higher, stronger – together.
The film, voiced by actor and UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Danai Gurira (The Walking Dead, Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: End Game), was directed by Martin Desmond Roe and Travon Free – the Academy Award-winning directors of the acclaimed short film “Two Distant Strangers” – and produced for the IOC in partnership with Oscar-, Emmy- and Gold Lion-winning studio Dirty Robber.
Revolving around a people-centric message that we are stronger together, the digital campaign emphasises the IOC’s belief in solidarity – that the world only moves forward when it moves together – and the power of the Olympic brand to unite people, communities and nations across the globe.
On 25 September 2020, the famous white exterior sails of the Sydney Opera House became an enormous movie screen, showing footage of Australian Catherine Freeman’s 400-metre gold medal win on the very same day, 20 years ago at the Sydney Olympic Games 2000.
In 49.11 seconds, Freeman crossed the historical finish as the first Aboriginal athlete to win gold in an individual event at the Olympic Games. The cinematic event celebrated not only Freeman’s historic achievement but also its audiovisual preservation for future generations on an innovative, sustainable, long-term storage technology called “synthetic DNA”.
This has been made possible thanks to a partnership between the Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage (OFCH) and the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA). The synthetic DNA project is a world first, and Freeman’s 400-metre gold medal win is the first Australian video to be encoded. The master recording of the historic race has been stored by the OFCH in Switzerland on magnetic tape, a technology commonly used 20 years ago. It is part of the 6.6 petabytes (1 petabyte = 1 million gigabytes) of the IOC’s audiovisual archives, a massive volume that could nonetheless triple in another 10 years. Thanks to this collective effort between the OFCH and NFAS, the one-gigabyte digitised file of Freeman’s gold-winning race will now be kept on microscopic synthetic DNA in a vial the size of a AAA battery. This innovative, sustainable storage technology can be preserved for thousands of years without maintenance. “As the custodian of large digital collections, and with the growing amount of images produced at every Games edition – more than 7,000 hours are planned for Tokyo 2020 – plus the evolution towards 4k and 8k, data storage will soon become an issue for the IOC. We are therefore always looking for ways to improve technologies and test innovations,” said Yasmin Meichtry, Head of Heritage at the OFCH.
“Synthetic DNA storage is the avant-garde technology that could lead to cost efficiencies and more sustainable and environmentally responsible ways to increase the capacity of our data storage,” Meichtry continued. “We are thus thrilled to partner with the NFSA in experimenting with that ground-breaking scientific knowledge, using one of our emblematic Olympic moments.” NFSA Chief Executive Officer Jan Müller said, “Catherine Freeman’s triumph at Sydney 2000 was a key moment in Australian sporting history. It brought Australians of all ages and backgrounds together in celebration, and it was viewed by billions of people around the world. We see this moment as part of ‘Australia’s DNA’, ideal to be preserved in actual DNA and become Australia’s first usage of this new technology.”
Source: PRNewsGIG/IOC Video Courtesy National Film and Sound Archive of Australia.
On 24 March 2020, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Tokyo 2020 agreed to postpone Olympic Games due to COVID-19 pandemic. IOC President Thomas Bach and the Prime Minister of Japan, Abe Shinzo, held a conference call to discuss the constantly changing environment with regard to COVID-19 and the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.
They were joined by Mori Yoshiro, the President of the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee; the Olympic Minister, Hashimoto Seiko; the Governor of Tokyo, Koike Yuriko; the Chair of the IOC Coordination Commission, John Coates; IOC Director General Christophe De Kepper; and the IOC Olympic Games Executive Director, Christophe Dubi.
President Bach and Prime Minister Abe expressed their shared concern about the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, and what it is doing to people’s lives and the significant impact it is having on global athletes’ preparations for the Games.
Today, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), The International Paralympic Committee (IPC), The Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, The Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the Government of Japan today agreed new dates for the Games of the XXXII Olympiad, in 2021. The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 will be celebrated from 23 July to 8 August 2021. They also agreed on the new dates for the Paralympic Games, which will be celebrated from 24 August until 5 September 2021.
The leaderships of the key parties came together via telephone conference earlier today, joined by IOC President Thomas Bach, Tokyo 2020 President Mori Yoshirō, Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko and Olympic and Paralympic Minister Hashimoto Seiko, and agreed on the new schedule.
This decision was taken based on three main considerations and in line with the principles established by the IOC Executive Board (EB) on 17 March 2020 and confirmed at its meeting today. These were supported by all the International Summer Olympic Sports Federations (IFs) and all the National Olympic Committees (NOCs):
1. To protect the health of the athletes and everyone involved, and to support the containment of the COVID-19 virus.
2. To safeguard the interests of the athletes and of Olympic sport.
3. The global international sports calendar.
These new dates give the health authorities and all involved in the organisation of the Games the maximum time to deal with the constantly changing landscape and the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The new dates, exactly one year after those originally planned for 2020 (Olympic Games: 24 July to 9 August 2020 and Paralympic Games: 25 August to 6 September 2020), also have the added benefit that any disruption that the postponement will cause to the international sports calendar can be kept to a minimum, in the interests of the athletes and the IFs. Additionally, they will provide sufficient time to finish the qualification process. The same heat mitigation measures as planned for 2020 will be implemented.
In a call on Tuesday 24 March 2020, based on information provided by the WHO at the time, IOC President Thomas Bach and Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzō concluded that the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 would be held in their complete form and not later than summer 2021. The Prime Minister reiterated that the government of Japan stands ready to fulfil its responsibility for hosting these successful Games. At the same time, IOC President Thomas Bach stressed the full commitment of the IOC to successful Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.
Following today’s decision, the IOC President said: “I want to thank the International Federations for their unanimous support and the Continental Associations of National Olympic Committees for the great partnership and their support in the consultation process over the last few days. I would also like to thank the IOC Athletes’ Commission, with whom we have been in constant contact. With this announcement, I am confident that, working together with the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the Japanese Government and all our stakeholders, we can master this unprecedented challenge. Humankind currently finds itself in a dark tunnel. These Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 can be a light at the end of this tunnel.”
Andrew Parsons, the President of the IPC, commented: “It is fantastic news that we could find new dates so quickly for the Tokyo 2020 Games. The new dates provide certainty for the athletes, reassurance for the stakeholders and something to look forward to for the whole world. When the Paralympic Games do take place in Tokyo next year, they will be an extra-special display of humanity uniting as one, a global celebration of human resilience and a sensational showcase of sport. With the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games 512 days away, the priority for all those involved in the Paralympic Movement must be to focus on staying safe with their friends and family during this unprecedented and difficult time.”
The President of the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, Mori Yoshirō, said: “IOC President Thomas Bach and the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee held a conference call today to discuss in detail the revised dates of the Tokyo 2020 Games. Minister for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games Hashimoto Seiko and Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko joined the call. I proposed that the Games should be hosted between July and August 2021, and I really appreciate that President Bach, having discussed this proposal with the various international sports federations and other related organisations, kindly accepted my proposal. A certain amount of time is required for the selection and qualification of athletes and for their training and preparation, and the consensus was that staging the rescheduled Games during the summer vacation in Japan would be preferable. In terms of transport, arranging volunteers and the provision of tickets for those in Japan and overseas, as well as allowing for the COVID-19 situation, we think that it would be better to reschedule the Games to one year later than planned, in the summer of 2021. Notwithstanding the postponement of the Olympic and Paralympic Games for the first time in history, and various other issues that have already been highlighted, the event schedule is the cornerstone of future preparations, and I am convinced that taking this decision promptly will help speed up future preparations. I would like to thank all the stakeholders, including the host city Tokyo and the Government of Japan, for their hard work during this short period. The Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee will continue to work hard for the success of next year’s Games.”
Governor Koike Yuriko said: “In consideration of the global coronavirus outbreak, we need a certain timeframe before we fully prepare for the delivery of Games that are safe and secure for the athletes and spectators. Also, the preparation for the new dates will go smoothly, as the dates match with same timeframe as the original competition dates, corresponding with ticketing, venue staffing, volunteers and transport. Therefore, I believe that celebrating the opening of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 on 23 July 2021 is ideal. The athletes, volunteers, torchbearers and local municipality governments have been concerned about the situation. Since we now have concrete new dates to aim for, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government will commit all its resources, and work closely with the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, the national government and other stakeholders to fully prepare for the delivery of Games that are safe and secure.”
It has previously been confirmed that all athletes already qualified and quota places already assigned for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 will remain unchanged. This is a result of the fact that these Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, in agreement with Japan, will remain the Games of the XXXII Olympiad.
Kuwait City, Kuwait, 24 March, 2020 (AFTNN/OCA) – The Olympic Council of Asia would like to express its total support for the decision of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to postpone the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games until next year.
The OCA appreciates that this must have been an extremely difficult decision to make, but the rapidly deteriorating situation around the world due to COVID-19 has made this postponement a necessity. The health and wellbeing of athletes and all Olympic stakeholders must be the top priority.
The IOC, along with Japanese authorities, have tried to delay this decision as long as possible in the hope that the situation might improve in the coming weeks and months but, sadly, this has not been the case. Now is the time for the Olympic sports movement around the world to show unity and solidarity and to work as one team in preparing for a brighter future.
At this time, we would like to extend our deepest sympathies to the Organising Committee of Tokyo 2020 for all the work, planning and preparation they have put in over a number of years – only for this completely unforeseen pandemic to intervene and change the course of Olympic history. We know Japan will recover from this setback and put on an even greater show to mark the coming together of humanity after finally defeating this virus.
We would also like to send our gratitude and appreciation to the athletes of Asia for all their efforts in qualifying – or attempting to qualify – for the Olympic Games. Although you must be disappointed at this time, the dream is not over. The Olympic Games will come back stronger and with even more passion – and so will you. The OCA has always championed the interests of the athletes and it did its best to ensure that the preparations of the Asian Athletes were not affected when this pandemic was at its peak in Asia. The OCA will continue to create the best possible environment for our athletes to train and participate in the Olympic Games which is an amalgamation of human spirit, culture and sports.
Our National Olympic Committees have worked tremendously hard behind the scenes in preparing the best conditions possible for their athletes. You have followed every guideline and met every deadline in guaranteeing a smooth build-up not only for your athletes and officials but also for the Organising Committee in Tokyo. The athletes and organisers will need you again and rely on you to bring together all aspects of management and operations in the future.
The OCA also commends the efforts of our International/Asian sport federations, for the way you have gone about amending your qualification schedules in an effort to be fair to all athletes from all corners of Asia. This has been a near-impossible task in recent weeks due to the ever-changing picture of the pandemic around the world and this postponement will now give you time to reassess the situation and, hopefully, make new and concrete plans.
