The Olympic experience in Tokyo was hard on us athletes, run by an organization that cares little for us as individuals. But we still dream
The Tokyo Olympics were set to be one of the greatest Games ever held. As a fan of Japan and its culture, I was looking forward to these Games more than either of my two previous Olympiads. Yet the 2020 Games – set during the Covid-19 pandemic following one of the most politically tumultuous presidencies in American history – turned out nothing like I could have expected.
We were greeted by smiling volunteers, but just like myself and my fellow athletes they were told to put on a brave face while the International Olympic Committee ran things in the same dismal way it always has.
