Photo-Illustration by Vanessa Irena for Scholastic. Anthony Acosta/Red Bull Content Pool (Eaton); Harry How/Getty Images (Manuel); Matt Roberts/Getty Images (Olympic Rings)

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Let the Games Begin

Top athletes from around the globe are preparing for the Summer Olympics. Can the world’s biggest sporting event provide hope during the pandemic?

May 10, 2021
By Joe Bubar

Every four years, nations put aside political differences and gather together to watch thousands of the best athletes from around the globe compete in the Summer Olympic Games. But this year’s Olympics, set to begin in Tokyo, Japan, on July 23, carry an additional significance.

If the Games go on during the pandemic, as organizers intend, it will be “a signal of hope and resilience to all humankind,” says International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach.

They were originally slated for last year but were postponed because of Covid-19. With the coronavirus still spreading, officials have implemented several safety protocols. Foreign spectators will be barred, some countries are prioritizing vaccinating Olympic athletes, and Olympic officials have announced that they’ll provide competitors with vaccines made in China.

Still, many health experts remain concerned about holding such a large event, and around 80 percent of people in Japan want the Olympics postponed again or canceled altogether, according to recent polls.

But there are economic reasons for going forward with the Games. Japan has already spent more than $25 billion on the Olympics, much of which has gone to building new stadiums, and the event would bring in billions from TV deals and sponsorships as well as publicity to Japan.

Amid all the uncertainty, there’s no doubt about one thing: This summer’s Olympics—if it takes place—is shaping up to be unlike any other in history. Here are some stories to follow.

Every four years, nations put aside political differences and gather together to watch thousands of the best athletes from around the globe compete in the Summer Olympic Games. This year’s Olympics are set to begin in Tokyo, Japan, on July 23. The event will be even more significant.

Organizers hope the Games will go on during the pandemic. If they do, it will be “a signal of hope and resilience to all humankind,” says International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach.

They were originally slated for last year but were postponed because of Covid-19. With the coronavirus still spreading, officials have put several safety protocols in place. Foreign spectators won’t be allowed. Some countries are prioritizing vaccinating Olympic athletes. And Olympic officials have announced that they’ll provide competitors with vaccines made in China.

Still, many health experts remain concerned about holding such a large event. And around 80 percent of people in Japan want the Olympics postponed again or canceled altogether, according to recent polls.

But there are economic reasons for going forward with the Games. Japan has already spent more than $25 billion on the Olympics. Much of that money has gone to building new stadiums. The event also would bring in billions from TV deals and sponsorships as well as publicity to Japan.

This summer’s Olympics face a great deal of uncertainty. They might not even take place. Still, few would disagree that they’re shaping up to be unlike any other Games in history. Here are some stories to follow.

A History of the Games
A short history of the Olympics and the politics surrounding them

SIMONE MANUEL

Making Waves

Harry How/Getty Images

Simone Manuel made history at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, when she became the first Black woman to win a gold medal in an individual swimming event. She also won an individual silver medal as well as a gold and a silver medal in relay races. The 24-year-old from Sugar Land, Texas, is looking to make a splash again at this summer’s Olympics.

But to truly grasp the significance of Manuel’s accomplishments, you have to look at the history of segregation in the U.S. Throughout the first half of the 20th century, Jim Crow laws—which segregated white and Black people in public places in the South—kept Black people out of most swimming pools. The public pools that did exist for Black people received less funding than the ones designated for whites only. In the North, too, Black people who tried to enter swimming pools were sometimes turned away or met with violence.

Segregation was outlawed in the mid-1960s, but many public pools in the South closed rather than integrate, and private swim clubs all over the country continued to exclude Black people and other marginalized groups.

Manuel hasn’t let that history get in her way. She began swimming when she was 4. At practices, many people stereotyped her, telling her to run track or play basketball instead, but she didn’t quit. Now she hopes to inspire more young people of color to get in the pool.

“Being a Black female swimmer is obviously a huge part of my identity,” she recently told NBC, adding, “I want to tell Black children, ‘You can swim. This is a sport that you can be successful in.’”

Simone Manuel made history at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. During the Games, she became the first Black woman to win a gold medal in an individual swimming event. She also won an individual silver medal as well as a gold and a silver medal in relay races. The 24-year-old from Sugar Land, Texas, is looking to make a splash again at this summer’s Olympics.

But to truly grasp the significance of Manuel’s accomplishments, you have to look at the history of segregation in the U.S. Throughout the first half of the 20th century, Jim Crow laws segregated white and Black people in public places in the South. These laws kept Black people out of most swimming pools. The public pools that did exist for Black people received less funding than the ones only white people could use. In the North too, Black people who tried to enter swimming pools were sometimes turned away or met with violence.

Segregation was outlawed in the mid-1960s. Still, many public pools in the South closed rather than integrate. And private swim clubs all over the country continued to exclude Black people and other marginalized groups.

Manuel hasn’t let that history get in her way. She began swimming when she was 4. At practices, many people stereotyped her, telling her to run track or play basketball instead. Through it all, she didn’t quit. Now she hopes to inspire more young people of color to get in the pool.

“Being a Black female swimmer is obviously a huge part of my identity,” she recently told NBC, adding, “I want to tell Black children, ‘You can swim. This is a sport that you can be successful in.’”

JAGGER EATON

Skateboarding’s Debut

Anthony Acosta/Red Bull Content Pool

Jagger Eaton, 20, is no stranger to the spotlight. When the skateboarder from Mesa, Arizona, was 11 years old, he set a world record as the youngest person to compete in the X Games. Now he’s vying for the chance to go where no skateboarder has gone before: the Olympics.

Skateboarding is one of four new sports at the Games—along with surfing, sport climbing, and karate. In addition, baseball and softball are returning after being absent from the past few Olympics. Eaton says representing his country in the first-ever Olympic skateboarding competition would be “one of the biggest honors I could ever have.” Even though the pandemic temporarily shut down many skate parks, he’s kept his focus on one thing.

“I don’t go into any contest thinking about anything but a gold medal,” he says. “And that’s exactly what I’m going for.”

Jagger Eaton, 20, is no stranger to the spotlight. The skateboarder from Mesa, Arizona, set a world record as the youngest person to compete in the X Games. He was only 11 years old at the time. Now he’s vying for the chance to go where no skateboarder has gone before: the Olympics.

Skateboarding is one of four new sports at the Games. The other three are surfing, sport climbing, and karate. And baseball and softball are returning after being absent from the past few Olympics. Eaton says representing his country in the first-ever Olympic skateboarding competition would be “one of the biggest honors I could ever have.” Even though the pandemic temporarily shut down many skate parks, he’s kept his focus on one thing.

“I don’t go into any contest thinking about anything but a gold medal,” he says. “And that’s exactly what I’m going for.”

ELDRIC SELLA

Representing Refugees

Courtesy of Akheil Albert

Everything changed for Eldric Sella in 2014. A boxer in Venezuela, he dreamed of representing his nation at the Olympics. But that year, Venezuela’s economy collapsed. Jobs became scarce, inflation soared, and there were days when Sella and his family didn’t know if they were going to be able to put food on the table. Political turmoil and violence added to the country’s woes.

In 2018, Sella made the difficult decision to say goodbye to his family in Venezuela in search of a better life. He’s among the 5.4 million Venezuelans who have fled the country since 2014, many of them claiming refugee status.* Sella and his girlfriend traveled by plane to the Caribbean island nation of Trinidad and Tobago, off the coast of Venezuela. They were later joined by Sella’s father, who’s also his boxing trainer.

Now Sella, age 24, hopes to fulfill his Olympic dream as a member of the Refugee Olympic Team. The team, which first competed at the Olympics in 2016, is made up of athletes who were forced to flee their homelands. Sella is one of 55 refugee athletes aiming for a spot on the team. After everything he’s been through, he says competing at the Olympics now would have an even greater meaning.

“It’s not only about me winning a gold medal,” Sella says. “It’s about how I can give refugees around the world a sense of hope to make their dreams a reality.”

Everything changed for Eldric Sella in 2014. A boxer in Venezuela, he dreamed of representing his nation at the Olympics. But that year, Venezuela’s economy collapsed. Jobs became scarce and inflation soared. There were days when Sella and his family didn’t know if they were going to be able to put food on the table. Political conflict and violence added to the country’s woes.

In 2018, Sella made the difficult decision to say goodbye to his family in Venezuela in search of a better life. He’s among the 5.4 million Venezuelans who have fled the country since 2014. Many of them have claimed refugee status. Sella and his girlfriend traveled by plane to the Caribbean island nation of Trinidad and Tobago, off the coast of Venezuela. They were later joined by Sella’s father, who’s also his boxing trainer.

Now Sella, age 24, hopes to fulfill his Olympic dream as a member of the Refugee Olympic Team. The team first competed at the Olympics in 2016. It’s made up of athletes who were forced to flee their homelands. Sella is one of 55 refugee athletes aiming for a spot on the team. After everything he’s been through, he says competing at the Olympics now would have an even greater meaning.

“It’s not only about me winning a gold medal,” Sella says. “It’s about how I can give refugees around the world a sense of hope to make their dreams a reality.”

*Refugee status is given to people who have had to flee their homelands because of persecution or other threats to their lives.

*Refugee status is given to people who have had to flee their homelands because of persecution or other threats to their lives.

Where’s the Russian Team?

Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images

Russian athletes with President Vladimir Putin (center) in 2018

One nation that’s usually a dominant force at the Olympics will be missing this year: Russia. It’s the second Olympics in a row from which the country has been banned because of a scandal involving doping—the use of performance-enhancing drugs (P.E.D.’s), such as anabolic steroids.

It all dates back to the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. In the lead-up to those Games, Russian coaches and government officials secretly administered P.E.D.’s to hundreds of athletes. They also covered up positive test results so athletes wouldn’t get caught cheating.

Russia went on to win the most medals at that Olympics but was later barred from the 2018 Winter Olympics—becoming the first nation to be banned from the Games for doping. Russia then failed to fully cooperate with an investigation into its doping program, leading to the current ban.

Russian athletes who’ve never been caught cheating will still be allowed to compete in Tokyo. But their flag and national anthem will be barred, and any medals they win won’t count for Russia.

One nation that’s usually a dominant force at the Olympics will be missing this year: Russia. It’s the second Olympics in a row that the country hasn’t been allowed to participate in. It was banned because of a scandal involving doping—the use of performance-enhancing drugs (P.E.D.’s), such as anabolic steroids.

It all dates back to the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. In the lead-up to those Games, Russian coaches and government officials secretly gave P.E.D.’s to hundreds of athletes. They also covered up positive test results so athletes wouldn’t get caught cheating.

Russia went on to win the most medals at that Olympics but was later barred from the 2018 Winter Olympics. It became the first nation to be banned from the Games for doping. Russia then failed to fully cooperate with an investigation into its doping program. That led to the current ban.

Russian athletes who’ve never been caught cheating will still be allowed to compete in Tokyo. But their flag and national anthem will be barred, and any medals they win won’t count for Russia.

Continue the Learning Journey

  • Use Upfront’s 2021 Atlas and Almanac to learn about Japan, the host country of the 2021 Summer Olympics. Write a short response comparing and contrasting Japan and the United States, using the stats for the U.S. and Japan. What stands out to you?
  • You read about the sports making their debut at the Olympics this summer. Now read the debate in this issue of Upfront about whether video gaming should be considered a sport. Do you think esports should be added to the Olympics? Write an argumentative essay, in the form of a letter to Olympic officials, about whether to add esports to the next Summer Olympics, scheduled to take place in Paris, France, in 2024. Use evidence from the experts’ essays to support your opinion. 

Continue the Learning Journey

  • Use Upfront’s 2021 Atlas and Almanac to learn about Japan, the host country of the 2021 Summer Olympics. Write a short response comparing and contrasting Japan and the United States, using the stats for the U.S. and Japan. What stands out to you?
  • You read about the sports making their debut at the Olympics this summer. Now read the debate in this issue of Upfront about whether video gaming should be considered a sport. Do you think esports should be added to the Olympics? Write an argumentative essay, in the form of a letter to Olympic officials, about whether to add esports to the next Summer Olympics, scheduled to take place in Paris, France, in 2024. Use evidence from the experts’ essays to support your opinion. 
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