After being delayed for a year, Japan has been hosting the 2021 Olympics for the last month, which has been ripe with controversy and strife between nations, the most serious competitors in the world. As an event that has existed for thousands of years, the Olympics have always been at the forefront of competition and a good vessel to experience how nations interact and portray themselves. From the 1936 Olympics in Nazi Germany to the 1980 games in Moscow, the Olympic Games have a great deal of history regarding foreign relations, and in the modern age, countries have never been so competitive. That competitive nature has led to much strife, especially in the U.S. this year, as entire countries make up the fan bases and practically every news organization in the world covers the games, often in a very skewed and propagandized manner. This year's Olympics began its life with a year of hardship because of COVID forcing the Japanese government to postpone the games, but even now many people are still protesting the games, as many countries are experiencing a surge in COVID cases, Japan included, and the games have been linked to many new cases between teams and some in the outside world, despite all of the precautions put in place like not allowing people in the Olympic Village outside. For Americans, the controversy started even before any athletes landed in Japan. In late June the sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson was disqualified from competing in the 100-meter race for using Marijuana in between the trials and the actual Olympics, which ignited social media and has stayed in the news even now. She became somewhat of an icon, appearing in a Beats commercial a few weeks later accompanied with a new Kanye West track as personalities debated whether her disqualification was warranted, and furthering the conversation about Marijuana's usefulness to cope with trauma, which Richardson said she was using it for. Then as athletes and teams arrived at the Olympic village, specifically American news and social media picked up on the cardboard beds for athletes, sparking much false information and debate about the treatment of athletes. And most recently, Simone Biles, the greatest gymnast in the world, withdrew from her team because of stress and mental health problems, which definitely caused the most strife, as many called her a coward and weak, while many others supported her decision and commented on how strong Biles had to be to make it that far and then be able to accept that she was not ready instead of going on after an underwhelming performance where she was clearly struggling. Despite all of the controversies with this year's games beyond the fields and courts, the brunt of Olympic reporting is done on scores, medals, and rivalries; what the games are all about, and also what shows how competitively certain nations take the games. For small countries, the Olympics can be used in a way to boost their national image, such as Jamaica winning majorly in track and field this year and previously with the help of Usain Bolt. But the Olympics are mostly dominated by four countries, China, Russia, The U.S., and Great Britain and Northern Ireland which all vie with each other for the top placements across the categories. Each of these countries seems to take the games especially seriously as they have the largest audiences and fan bases, so naturally, narratives are pushed to downplay opponents. One example of this downplaying comes from the New York Times live updates page, which ranks countries by medals won, rather than by weighing golds, silvers, and bronzes which just so happens to place the U.S. at the top of the leader board, despite China having a few more golds and being placed higher on the official Olympics website. There are plenty of other examples of news programs seemingly coping with their country's failings at the games, but all just highlight how politicized the events have become. The two top countries in the games this year, the U.S. and China have serious tension, but instead of the games lifting some of that antagonism, as they have previously, countries are more concerned in politicization than in the spirit of the games, sportsmanship, and graciousness. Relatively, the Olympics mean little to the course of global foreign relations, maybe a little more to smaller countries, but they indicate how modern nations are distancing themselves from each other, showing hints of the grip nationalism still has over so many places and people and how it is up kept by media.
Mather, Victor. “Olympics Updates: U.S. COLLECTS 10 MEDALS, Second to China.” The New York Times. The New York Times, July 24, 2021. https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/07/24/sports/olympics-tokyo-updates?name=styln-olympics®ion=TOP_BANNER&block=storyline_menu_recirc&action=click&pgtype=LegacyCollection&variant=show&is_new=false&smid=tw-nytimes&smtyp=cur. “Olympic Medal Count.” Tokyo 2020 Olympics (Jul 23-Aug 8, 2021). https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/olympic-games/en/results/all-sports/medal-standings.htm. OlympicTalk. “Sha'Carri Richardson Not on U.S. Olympic Track and Field Team.” OlympicTalk | NBC Sports, July 7, 2021. https://olympics.nbcsports.com/2021/07/06/shacarri-richardson-olympic-team-tokyo/. Ramsay, George, John Sinnott, and Rebecca Wright. “'I Have to Focus on My Mental Health,' Says Simone Biles after Withdrawing from Gold Medal Event.” CNN. Cable News Network, July 29, 2021. https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/27/sport/simone-biles-tokyo-2020-olympics/index.html.
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