Summer Review: Tokyo 2021

[Minka Beaver]

The elephant in the room at these Games was doping - even more so than usual, with PED testing effectively mothballed in many parts of the world.

Italy's five athletics Gold Medals - including some scarcely believable improvements from a couple of mature athletes - is something I sadly feel very sceptical about, especially as Italy led the world in failed doping tests between 2017 and 2019 (footballers were over-represented, but all major sports had issues).

One British medal-winning sprinter has already tested positive from these Games and I can't help but feel that the next eight years will be revealing as to who else was running doping programs.

 

[Mateyman]

The elephant in the room at these Games was doping - even more so than usual, with PED testing effectively mothballed in many parts of the world.

Italy's five athletics Gold Medals - including some scarcely believable improvements from a couple of mature athletes - is something I sadly feel very sceptical about, especially as Italy led the world in failed doping tests between 2017 and 2019 (footballers were over-represented, but all major sports had issues).

One British medal-winning sprinter has already tested positive from these Games and I can't help but feel that the next eight years will be revealing as to who else was running doping programs.

I was so happy to see them win against the odds. Sad that even at the time it felt like it was probably tainted.

 

[imadodgyumpire]

There were three moments that impacted me.

1) Ariane Titmus winning the 400. When I didn't really care about her in the lead up to the games and having enough of the commercials, there I was listening intently to SEN at work. I was riding on the bandwagon. Having not built up anticipation for the games internally, it tapped into the love I have for it which had laid dormant.

2) Kyle Chalmers getting pipped in the 100. **** man he was right there. As some of you might remember, the day this race was held was the only one where I gave myself a sickie to watch. Even though he won it 5 years ago and it was a good effort to get second, it was still a case for me of ruing missing out on the win.

Even now, there are only two, maybe three gold/medals I wouldn't trade for to get the men's 100m freestyle gold.

3) Nicola McDermott just clipping the bar to take the lead of the high jump. Chumps like me thinking of Eleanor Patterson because she's cute, then not considering McDermott even though she's the Australian record holder. Not as cute as Eleanor and the animated build-up. But as the competition progressed you recognise the merit.

That last jump where I thought she was going to make it? I initially leaped off my chair to cheer her, then agonised in a similar way to Chalmer missing out on gold.

 

[imadodgyumpire]

I'm also a bit perturbed by Gina Rinehart funding the Olympic team.

Nat Cook during commentary referred to her as a patron saint!

 

[pepsi]

I'm also a bit perturbed by Gina Rinehart funding the Olympic team.

Nat Cook during commentary referred to her as a patron saint!

Why does it concern you? Not trying to be rude, just genuinely wondering.

I don't know much about her except that she is filthy rich. But that she supports Australian sport, especially Olympic sports, seems to be a positive

 

[imadodgyumpire]

I'm not really thrilled about the level of influence she has on Australian politics, and here dad has to be one of the biggest lumps of s**t human civilization has ever produced.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

I'm also a bit perturbed by Gina Rinehart funding the Olympic team.

Nat Cook during commentary referred to her as a patron saint!

She started doing it when she was taking her son and daughter to the high court about access to the trust Lang Hancock set up. She came across as a bit of a bitch to her kids from her first marriage and only cared about her daughter from her marriage to Frank Reinhart, so as a bit of good PR because she didn't look so great. But it looks like she is getting something of personal value out of helping all these young people reach their potential, win medals for themselves and the nation, and everyone likes being associated with good people and winners. she writes a lot about the athletes on her Foundation's website named after her mother.

I read a fair bit of her website around the time of the 2016 Olympics and because Port went to China and she partnered up with our Chinese benefactor Mr Gui to buy S Kidman & Co. in late 2016, so i was looking for a potential in for Port, with her.

She heavily funds swimming, synchro swimming, rowing, volleyball, beach volleyball and water polo the last time I looked. Port's head of China department until May last year, Andrew Hunter played pro volleyball in Europe for a decade and myself and a few port members who knew Andrew asked him to chase Gina for an involvement with Port especially given his volleyball contacts and that Mr Gui is a 1/3rd partner with her in S Kidman & Co.

There is a guy in SA called Rob Gerard, he's about 75, who's grand father started Gerard Industries and Clipsal electrical products in the1920'S. My first professional job in accounting/tax I did a lot of work with the Gerard family as well as stuff for the main company.

The family are wealthy old money Adelaide and in the 1980's he started getting involved in helping raise money for SA athletes to go to the Olympics and Comm Games, when each state body of the AOC had to raise a certain amount of funds via dinners, promo events, chook raffles etc, because corporate sponsorship was almost non existent back then.

He has been trying to get the Comm Games to Adelaide for nearly 30 years. When a couple of medalists from SA returned home, 7 in Adelaide did a story on him and how he has helped fund them and over 100 SA based Olympians since the 1980's. He said he does it because he gets great joy out of them being able to achieve their best and represent the state and country. Estimates are that he has raised as well as spent his own money to the tune of about $20mil.

Maybe Gina is getting something similar out of all this sports philanthropy like Rob Gerard has gotten.

 

[imadodgyumpire]

So she has only been doing it for a few years??? Lame. I thought it must've been doing it for decades, but only heard about it during the Rio games.

It's interesting how things just move on and you can get pulled down a peg?

There was all that wonderful warm glow from Ash Barty winning Wimbledon. There's the anticipation she could win gold in Tokyo, but gets knocked off by no43 Sara Sorribes Tormo. Since then she's won a tournament in Cincinnati.

There was anticipation Steph Gilmore could win gold in surfing. We saw those commercials for the weeks leading into the games, only for her to bomb out. Since then she's won an event in Mexico.

I can't believe Riley Day lives off $25,000 a year. How tf does anyone live off that???

 

[two blue tiger]

Interesting that Australia has gone down the path of recruiting a group of established stars in the Paralympics table tennis who have dominated. A bit like we did in the early 2000's with weightlifting, pole vaulters etc. Surely the recruiting of these established stars help builds our programs for both Olympics, Paras, World Champs etc, raising standards, bringing the best of coaching etc. The medals won in "minority" sports like judo, table tennis, wrestling etc etc count just the same as the premium big ticket stuff like 100m freestyle, mens and womens rowing fours etc etc. that we did so well in during this Olympic cycle.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

Interesting that Australia has gone down the path of recruiting a group of established stars in the Paralympics table tennis who have dominated. A bit like we did in the early 2000's with weightlifting, pole vaulters etc. Surely the recruiting of these established stars help builds our programs for both Olympics, Paras, World Champs etc, raising standards, bringing the best of coaching etc. The medals won in "minority" sports like judo, table tennis, wrestling etc etc count just the same as the premium big ticket stuff like 100m freestyle, mens and womens rowing fours etc etc. that we did so well in during this Olympic cycle.

What do you mean by recruiting established stars in paralympics? Who are you talking about? How many people? And where did they came from?

Also who do you mean by star weightlifters in the Olympics. I remember Stefan Botev in Atlanta won bronze after immigrating from Bulgaria after the all came down, but who else?

Tatiana Grigorieva came to Oz as a 400m hurdle runner from Russia with her husband Victor Chistiakov the pole vaulter who helped convert her to pole vaulting a year or so after they got here. Coach Alex Parnov, Victor and Dmitri Markov for some reason all came to Adelaide in 1997 after Atlanta.

It would have all been part of the funding to get coaches from around the world to come to Oz in lead up to Sydney and he convinced them to come and got some funding for them. After Atlanta, a couple of of other East European coaches were recruited by the AOC using the extra government funding, the Medal Maker Victor Kovalenko for sailing and sprint swimming coach Gennadi Touretski who was Alex Popov's coach and coached Michael Klim and other sprinters as well as was the national sprint coach.

Athletics Australia got into trouble in late 1997 when they recruited former East German athletics coach and known advocate of the abusive East German PED system Dr Ekkart Arbeit as head coach and they had to dismiss him within a weeks of making the announcement as the new head coach after the large public outcry when his background was made public.

 

[two blue tiger]

What do you mean by recruiting established stars in paralympics? Who are you talking about? How many people? And where did they came from?

Also who do you mean by star weightlifters in the Olympics. I remember Stefan Botev in Atlanta won bronze after immigrating from Bulgaria after the all came down, but who else?

Tatiana Grigorieva came to Oz as a 400m hurdle runner from Russia with her husband Victor Chistiakov the pole vaulter who helped convert her to pole vaulting a year or so after they got here. Coach Alex Parnov, Victor and Dmitri Markov for some reason all came to Adelaide in 1997 after Atlanta.

It would have all been part of the funding to get coaches from around the world to come to Oz in lead up to Sydney and he convinced them to come and got some funding for them. After Atlanta, a couple of of other East European coaches were recruited by the AOC using the extra government funding, the Medal Maker Victor Kovalenko for sailing and sprint swimming coach Gennadi Touretski who was Alex Popov's coach and coached Michael Klim and other sprinters as well as was the national sprint coach.

Athletics Australia got into trouble in late 1997 when they recruited former East German athletics coach and known advocate of the abusive East German PED system Dr Ekkart Arbeit as head coach and they had to dismiss him within a weeks of making the announcement as the new head coach after the large public outcry when his background was made public.

Answers to questions above in italics.

Table tennis - 3 ex-pat Chinese players, Qian Yang (4 Para medals, now 5, inc Gold at this games), Li Na Lei (8 Para medals, now 9, inc Gold at this games), Lin Ma (5 Para medals, now 6, inc Silver at this games0. All three a chance to win more gold in teams event tomorrow. You don't think that 10 gold medals experince doesn't help lift our local born players????

Weight lifting - Nicu Vlad (Olympic champion, 3 x World Champ) from Romania, Kiril Kounev, Yuri Sarkisian (Olympic champion), Aleksander Karapetyan (world champ), Sergo Chakoyan (world champ) - all ended up in Oz with the Coffa brothers spearheading the recruitment of all these ex Soviet bloc athletes. Gave us a bit of era in the sport where Olympics medals were in the mix, but unfortunately didn't materialise as hoped. Put the sport on the map though.

Pole vault - Markov arrived in 1997 from from Belorussia - finished 5th Sydeny 2000, was world champ in 2001 going over 6.05m. Am sure Steve Hooker was inspired by him.Now lives in Adelaide and is Dad of ex Tiger (now Sun) Oleg.

General comment :
As a 12 handicapper, when I play with a scratch marker then I play better than with fellow teen markers (or worse). Getting the best has to help us improve in sports of all sorts. Money helps of course (look at the Brits and how their lottery has helped), but quality on and off the ground does too. We all loved the Games and the success we had - let's keep it up and stay in the top echelon. Lifts our spirit, makes us proud. That's the beauty of sport - great to be a part of, but even better to win......

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

Answers to questions above in italics.

Table tennis - 3 ex-pat Chinese players, Qian Yang (4 Para medals, now 5, inc Gold at this games), Li Na Lei (8 Para medals, now 9, inc Gold at this games), Lin Ma (5 Para medals, now 6, inc Silver at this games0. All three a chance to win more gold in teams event tomorrow. You don't think that 10 gold medals experince doesn't help lift our local born players????

Weight lifting - Nicu Vlad (Olympic champion, 3 x World Champ) from Romania, Kiril Kounev, Yuri Sarkisian (Olympic champion), Aleksander Karapetyan (world champ), Sergo Chakoyan (world champ) - all ended up in Oz with the Coffa brothers spearheading the recruitment of all these ex Soviet bloc athletes. Gave us a bit of era in the sport where Olympics medals were in the mix, but unfortunately didn't materialise as hoped. Put the sport on the map though.

Pole vault - Markov arrived in 1997 from from Belorussia - finished 5th Sydeny 2000, was world champ in 2001 going over 6.05m. Am sure Steve Hooker was inspired by him.Now lives in Adelaide and is Dad of ex Tiger (now Sun) Oleg.

General comment :
As a 12 handicapper, when I play with a scratch marker then I play better than with fellow teen markers (or worse). Getting the best has to help us improve in sports of all sorts. Money helps of course (look at the Brits and how their lottery has helped), but quality on and off the ground does too. We all loved the Games and the success we had - let's keep it up and stay in the top echelon. Lifts our spirit, makes us proud. That's the beauty of sport - great to be a part of, but even better to win......

That all makes sense but getting people to immigrate and change their country isnt as easy as trading for footballers

Thats why going after the best coaches in the lead up to Sydney was implement and worked so well. In the case of Alex Parnov he dragged 2 pole vaulters and converted a hurdler and then ran a 20+ year elite program in WA worked well.

East Europeans havent rush out of their countries after the fall of the Soviet Union in the last 10 years like they did the first 10 years , because their economies and societies have restructured and their are more opportunities for them now compared to the 1990s. So why move away from home? And if they do, other European nations are a lot closer to home than half way around the world.

The acceptance of refugees from Africa in larger numbers the last 20 years or so has led to, and will lead to athletes who will do well in Olympic and international sports, as well as domestic sports / leagues.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

4 months after returning home from Tokyo, some Olympians get a civic reception.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

Found this article the other day reviewing Tokyo and produced this table. This site is run by Greg Blood an ex sport librarian and researcher. He was employed as a librarian at Australian Institute of Sport / Australian Sports Commission and others from sports industry contribute. See

Authors

Contributing authors as of October 2021. Greg Blood as extensive experience as a sport librarian and researcher. He was employed as a librarian at Australian Institute of Sport / Australian Sp…

australiansportreflections.com

Tokyo review article

Toyko Olympics: Medals, Personal Bests, Athlete & Team Journeys and Camaraderie

By Greg Blood Prior to the Tokyo Olympics, I detailed the support that the Australian Government through the AIS provided to the Australian Olympic and Paralympic teams. It is worthwhile examining …

australiansportreflections.com

He also did another article on the government funding over 5 years for Tokyo

Australian Government’s Contribution to Australian Olympic and Paralympic Teams at Tokyo 2021 through the AIS

By Greg Blood With the upcoming Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, it is worthwhile examining the contribution of the Australian Government through the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) to Australia…

australiansportreflections.com

Usually its when Australian teams do well, then a lot of Australians come home with medals. This Olympics was a bit different.

This AOC page linked below in the article, says Oz won 129 medals and they were won by 99 individuals.

16 Hockey guys brought back silver medals and 12 men's basketballers brought back bronze medals = 28 individual medallists from 2 events.

Because both men's and swimming relay teams used a lot of heat swimmers and Oz won 2 gold and 4 bronze from the 7 relay events, and the heat swimmers get medals, it meant 27 of the 37 swimmers brought home medals. Most relays Oz had 7 or 8 swimmers over the heats and finals. Historically that has been 4 to 6.

And in rowing Oz won 2 golds in men's and women's coxless fours and 2 bronze in the quad sculls, meant 16 rowers came home with medals.

That's 71 individual medallists for 11 golds 4 silver and 12 bronze = 27 of the 46 medals won. 28 individuals were involved in winning the other 19 event medals.

Tokyo 2020 Australian Olympic Team in Numbers

Tokyo 2020 was a record breaking Games for the Australian Olympic Team, and the equal best ever medal haul in terms of gold medals won - 17 in total.Scroll...

www.olympics.com.au

So approx 1 in 5 brought home medals, which lower than during the 1996-2008 period when a similar number of totals were won, as well as 2012 when the total medals dropped but team sports won 3 medals.

1996 1 in 3.2 individuals came with a medal as W Hockey won gold (16), W Basketball bronze (12), M hockey bronze (16), W Softball bronze (20) = 64 individual medallists from 4 medal events.

2000 1 in 4 W Hockey gold (16), W Water Polo gold (13), W Basketball silver (12), M Hockey bronze (16), W Softball bronze (15) = 71 individual medallists from 5 medal events

2004 1 in 3.5 M Hockey gold (16), W Softball silver (16), M Baseball silver (24), W Basketball (12) = 68 individual medallists from 4 medal events

2008 1 in 3.5 W Basketball silver (12), W Softball bronze (15) W Water Polo bronze (15) M Hockey bronze (16) = 58 medallists from 4 medal events

2012 1 in 4.5 W Water Polo bronze (13), M Hockey bronze (16) W Hockey bronze (16) = 45 medallists from 3 medal events

2016 1 in 7 W Rugby 7's gold (10)

2020 1 in 5 M Hockey silver (16) M basketball bronze (12) = 28 medallists from 2 medal events.

Typically there have been 7 team sports x 2 events = 14 for men and women. Basketball, Hockey, Football, Handball, Water Polo, Volleyball and Baseball/Softball ( which went out and came back in).

Rugby 7's came in and now there is a 9th team sport 3x3 Basketball which has 4 individuals per team.

Including the 3x3 basketball, USA in Tokyo won 5 golds, 2 Silvers and 1 bronze of these 18 events.

This represented 114 individuals who went went home with a medal, which produced 53 gold 39 silver 22 bronze.

USA all up 256 individuals of their team of 613 (1 in 2.4) who took home 294 medals, 112 gold 108 silver and 74 bronze.