Bring on 2021!

Along with millions of Olympic and sports fans, I'm wishing for a successful, smooth, and healthy Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021. After this year's postponement, there are still serious lingering concerns on participant and spectator Covid-19 protocol, which likely won't be answered until the springtime at the earliest. But we do need a "beacon of hope" to help frame a pandemic recovery. And, today, I choose to look at the glass half-full to start off the year.

I certainly am an Olympics fan. I have been since first falling in awe with the spectacle at Los Angeles 1984. From tradition of ceremony, to compelling competition, and from unsung heroes to the camaraderie of various athletes coming together, I am all in.

That said, my fandom doesn't mean that I don't have some recommendations. So, in honor of the new year, here are Games and Rings' top ten wishes for the Olympics in 2021.

Let me know what your own wishes are in the comments.

​Run, Caster, Run

Middle-distance runner Caster Semenya has one more appeal up her sleeve, to the European Court of Human Rights. Double Olympic champion in the 800 meters, Semenya is currently blocked from defending her title unless she takes testosterone-inhibiting measures, under somewhat arbitrary and selectively exclusionary new World Athletics rules.

As argued a few months ago, World Athletics is on the wrong side of history's trajectory toward human rights in this case. Semenya was born female and is female. She - like some others - is just a female with elevated - but natural - testosterone, and who happened to win the genetics lottery suited for a career in athletics. Why should she be punished for that? Let her run.

Protest for Change

Team USA recently announced not only that "It is a human right to peacefully call upon racial and social injustices during the...Games" but also that "denying the right of respectful demonstrations...runs counter to the Olympic...values."

Wow. This doesn't just run counter to Team USA's own recent actions - just ask fencer Race Imboden and hammer thrower Gwen Berry for their thoughts - it runs against the International Olympic Committee's own Rule 50 of the Olympic Charter, which bans any political protest, including kneeling or even wearing an armband. The IOC even issued its Rule 50 guidelines at the start of the year.

But a year filled with Black Lives Matter activism and increased racial awareness sure can change perspective. World Athletics, representing track & field, issued a President's Award to Mexico City 1968 protestors Tommie Smith and John Carlos (and fellow medalist Peter Norman), a surprising indication that maybe the organization will support its own athletes' Olympic protests. 

For its part, the IOC did give a tepid "we'll look into it" response to Team USA's recommendations. Of course, determining "appropriate" allowable protest and over what issue would be problematic on a global stage like the Olympics, with the wide variety of national interests and backgrounds. But isn't the Olympic stage built on inspiration and striving for better-ness? Will we see a meaningful gesture that spurs conversation toward greater social good? Will the IOC act supportively? Yes, I'm anxious to see it.

A Russian Comeuppance

In its bid to dominate its home Games of Sochi 2014, Russia undertook a doping system that provided its athletes with performance-enhancement and an elaborate coverup. That this was a state-level scheme is no longer in dispute.

What has been the punishment? Four years later, at Pyeongchang 2018, "Russia" was banned but Russian athletes were allowed to compete under an "Olympic Athletes from Russia" moniker. Huh? Essentially, Russian officials were absent, as was the Russian flag and anthem, but otherwise, the team carried on. Really, "Russia" still participated...their flag was honored and their anthem sung.

In 2016, the IOC declined to ban Russia outright despite recommendations by the World Anti-Doping Agency to do just that and following confirmation of deeper state-level manipulation. World Athletics took matters into its own hands and heavily restricted Russian presence in track & field, but elsewhere across the Games, Russia flourished.

Now, after an appeal of a stronger WADA ban, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has reduced penalties and restored possible Russian participation at the Games. This will likely again come under a "neutral" banner. The upcoming World Men's Handball Championship next month offers a template, with Team Russia becoming Team "Russian Handball Federation", while still wearing team colors. To paraphrase, if it looks like Russia and carries the name "Russian", it is Russia.

Not much of a punishment for carrying out the largest doping affront against the Olympics, state-sponsored no less. Russia's actions in Sochi disrespected the Games, and its role as host, to say the least. And, so far, Russia has, as U.S. Anti-Doping Agency head Travis Tygart said in response to the recent CAS reduction, "once again escape(d) a meaningful consequence proportional to the crimes...".

What can be done? A repeat of 2018's "Olympic Athletes from Russia" team seems on the way, which has shown to not be much of a deterrence. Although they didn't in 2016, perhaps individual federations should take World Athletics' lead in restricting participation within their own sports. In the meantime, I'm wishing for a subdued Russian presence...maybe somehow there's a team-wide demoralization that affects performance. That's unlikely, but something needs to shake Russia into sincere compliance. Fair, and trusted Olympic-spirit competition needs it.

A Full-Strength Basketball Tournament

The Covid-19 pandemic has upended the sporting calendar in 2020, with ripple effects across next year and beyond as all sports negotiate the Olympic behemoth planted now in 2021. At this stage, many rescheduled dates have been set, and one potential high-profile conflict has emerged over the last few weeks.

The National Basketball Association's modified 2019-20 season, which should have ended in June 2020, finished in October. This pushed their 2020-21 season to start later than normal, in December, which then pushed the potential NBA Finals end to July 22. That's one day ahead of the Opening Ceremony for Tokyo 2020. This means a significant number of potential Olympians would not be available, or interested, in Tokyo participation given the tight turnaround between the NBA season and the Games, particularly for those that will be making deep post-season runs.

U.S. stars are not the only ones affected. Spain's team usually features NBA-ers Ricky Rubio, Marc Gasol, Serge Ibaka, and Nikola Mirotic. Rudy Gobert plays for France, while Patty Mills, Ben Simmons, and Matthew Dellavedova feature for Australia.

Olympic qualification is massively affected, too. Usually, the final Olympic Qualifying Tournaments are held in the NBA off-season. But now in 2021, the qualifiers are set for late June, which would mean in the middle of the NBA post-season play. Would-be stars for the teams trying to qualify in these tournaments include Slovenia's Luka Doncic and Goran Dragic, Greece's Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Serbia's Nikola Jokic...not having them available would carry serious implications for their national teams' Olympic dreams.

Team USA head coach Gregg Popovich is well aware of the timing conundrum, and he's in a tight turnaround, too, as an active NBA coach. Having an NBA-star-studded Olympic tournament has been a highlight of the Games since Barcelona 1992, and I'm hoping that Tokyo's version will also feature the world's best. I'm not sure how this will happen...it's unlikely a significant number of star players will miss the NBA playoffs and not be too tired to play on, but we'll see how it plays out. I also fear that, if NBA-ers pass on the Games en masse, it will set a precedent on not appearing at the Games, allowing the NBA to further push their World Cup at the expense of the Olympics.

A Boxing Comeback

Boxing is a classic Olympic sport, with global appeal and participation. Unfortunately, the sport is on the wrong side of competent governance and trusted integrity.

Except for Stockholm 1912, boxing has been on the official Olympic program since St. Louis 1904. Boxing attracts a wide swath of nations at the Games - entrants from Uzbekistan, Mongolia, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Mauritius, and Brazil have won medals across the last three Games, for example. And, supporting the IOC's goal of gender equality, women's events have been included since London 2012, with a targeted increase of equality at Paris 2024.

But trusting boxing to be a fair sport has been an on-going, frustrating issue. Just some of the outrageous decisions include Evander Holyfield's loss to Kevin Barry in 1984, Park Si-Hum's victory over Roy Jones, Jr. at Seoul 1988, Eric Griffin's loss to Rafael Lozano at Barcelona 1992, Floyd Mayweather, Jr.'s loss to Serafim Todorov at Atlanta 1996, Satoshi Shimizu's loss to Magomed Abdulhamidov at London 2012, and Michael Conlan's loss to Vladimir Nikitin at Rio 2016.

These aren't just examples of contested upset losses / wins - they're egregious examples of, at best questionable or, at worst, rigged judging. It seems there is more of a story when there isn't a controversy at an Olympics.

Boxing's governing body hasn't done the sport any favors, either. Its governance and financial problems have forced the extraordinary step of the IOC taking over Olympic qualifiers. The recent election of a new International Boxing Federation president didn't stop the IOC from restricting boxing at Paris 2024 to fewer athletes than at 2020 and not allowing a full program of weight classes. That is a move that many see as punishment for the sport's continued mess.

Can boxing have a smooth, non-controversial program in Tokyo? It'll have to in order to secure confidence and relevance beyond 2024.

Thanks to a Outsports' recent "Five Rings to Rule Them All" post, I've come across the wonderfully passionate work of Tony Scupham-Bilton.

Through his Queerstory Files blog, Schupam-Bilton dives into the data of LGBT Olympians. Recapping the competition record of those athletes identified as queer - whether during or past their Olympic appearance - and uncovers a wealth of representation, spanning the Games from 1912 to the present, Summer to Winter.

While the mention of certain high-profile athletes, such as Tom Daley, Sue Bird, or Ian Thorpe, won't be a surprise to casual Olympic fans, the real joy for Queerstory followers is the recognition of lesser-known names and stories. Discover Lais Souza, a Brazilian gymnast who had a brief change to aerial skiing before a tragic injury; Ondrej Nepela, a Czechoslovakian figure skater who appeared at Innsbruck 1964 at only age 13, or Leif Rovsing, Danish tennis player at Stockholm 1912 who came out in 1917(!) to become the first known LGBT Olympian.

Die-hard Olympic sports fans may recognize these athlete stories, but their placement within the context of LGBT-ism is a joy. That's certainly in part due to an element of "I didn't know they were gay", but mostly due to the cumulative yet simple recognition of LGBT presence throughout Games history. Presented as straightforward, researched facts, the acknowledgement of queers' athletic accomplishment brings pride. 

It's the earnest work of outlets such as Queerstory and Outsports that help drive the truth that LGBT athletes, have, do, and will exist(ed). And, this work has certainly helped inspire parts of my own blogging, as I look for interesting and unique news items on Olympic sports athletes - highlighting fellow LGBT community members is a happy bonus. As Scupham-Bilton and Outsports (and others like Athlete Ally and You Can Play) will likely attest, it's still critically important to reinforce the diversity of LGBT representation in the large niche of sports.

You can find Queerstory Files here. (Olympic-specific posts here) and ​read Outsports here (Five Rings to Rule Them All podcast here).

Nope.

That's it, that's my ultimate reaction to Peacock's "In Deep with Ryan Lochte", an hour-long documentary from this summer that posits Lochte as a matured, family-man looking for redemption through another Olympic swimming appearance at Tokyo 2020.

Honestly, unless you're a bonafide fan of Lochte's, skip the documentary and just read Inkoo Kang's spot-on review for The Hollywood Reporter instead. It'll save you the aggravation of revisiting him and his antics.

But I did watch it. And, I got aggravated again. Lochte has again become a source of Olympic chagrin for me as a fan.

At age 20, Ryan Lochte debuted at Athens 2004 and immediately became a favorite for NBC coverage - young, good-looking, fun-loving, he was a perfect counter to Michael Phelps. If Phelps was serious and maybe awkward, Lochte was the all-American fun guy. His success over the next three Games - six gold medals and 11 overall - kept fuel on the spotlight.

Along the way, what also was fueled was a reputation that fell somewhere between charming goofball and entitled jerk. (In "In Deep", his father refers to him as a "rascal". How cute.) A "What Would Ryan Lochte Do?" reality show devoted to following his party lifetsyle, and his attempt to make a "jeah" catchphrase happen cemented his image.

I was never a fan. Of course, I appreciated his talent in the pool. Aside from his Olympic medals, Lochte also has 39 world championship medals. But the celebrity, and what seemed to be a welcomed embrace of it, was a certain turn-off. I tend to save my Olympic athlete fandom for those appearing more humble, hard luck, or appearing sincerely nice. Granted, much of his reported personality came from the media craving and crafting a colorful story, but he certainly leveraged it.

Then, "Lochtegate": at Rio 2016, immediately after the swimming competition completed, there was the incident. After a late night partying session with some teammates that lasted into the early a.m. of the next day, he became Games topic number one. The drunken crew stopped at a gas station to relieve themselves - eventually doing so around the back outside, and in the process causing some damage to property. Gas station employees and on-site security staff came around, and a tense exchange followed, with a drunk Lochte refusing to sit still and security brandishing a gun to make him so. Eventually, the crew pays an on-the-spot fine, if you will, to cover damages, and are on their way. It all could have stayed unknown as an embarrassing I-can't-believe-we-just-went through-that drunken adventure, were it not for Lochte getting on the phone to his mother. (Note: don't let you mom be your p.r. person, Ryan) She spills a side of the story to a reporter and all of a sudden, there's a tale of poor Olympic champion Lochte and friends being robbed at gunpoint. With these Games having started under a cloud of security and safety concerns already, this story went out with a bang.

My partner and I were at Rio then, and were scheduled to head to the airport the next evening. Immediately, we were terrified at the prospect of being in a cab at 4 a.m. in Rio, just like Lochte and friends were. Is this what happens there in the middle of the night?? I think the thought went through countless other Olympic guests.

Well, as it turned out, no, there wasn't a forced stop of their taxi, nor a "robbery". What there was, was a group of drunk young men caught peeing on private property and causing damage, and being called to task by the security guard. So, no...this wasn't about Rio's unsafe streets, this was about Olympians acting un-Olympian...and a malicious cover story at the expense of the Brazilian hosts. Entitled, ugly American-ism, or whatever you want to call it, it was a bad look. And, to top it off, Lochte - a senior member of USA Swimming and for sure in position to be the leader of that night's group - hopped on a plane out of town before questioning, leaving his junior teammates to answer for the lie he pushed. What a wasted opportunity to be a mentor.

Side observation: an odd choice to showcase as a defender for Lochte in "In Deep" is Billy Bush, who chalks Lochte and gang's antics as essentially a "boys will be boys" issue. Yes, that Billy Bush. NBC really should have thought twice about keeping that specific segment of commentary in, as Bush isn't the most credible voice of reason when judging male "fun".

Now, with Tokyo 2020 looming and Lochte looking to make another Olympic team, though as a longshot at 36, NBC is readying a redemption story with "In Deep". Lochte has a family now with a wife and two children, and is a self-professed changed man from his younger days of partying. He's seen training diligently and playing lovingly with his son.

Well, okay. Good for him. But I'm over him, and over seeing him at the Games. "In the Deep" certainly didn't assuage any of my reservations about him. Contrary to teammate Conor Dwyer's prediction, this debacle will still not "roll over soon". The fact that "In the Deep" even exists is proof. What's more, in the documentary, he still claims some confusion, as he suggests the damage payment might be seen as a bribe. It's a decidedly American-centric hubris that fails to see the flip side if the situation was reverse. What if a group of drunk Brazilian young men damaged a late-night gas station in Los Angeles, and an L.A. security officer confronted them? Surely, the station owner could demand a fine in lieu of calling the police?

So, nope. It's time to move on from Lochte storylines at the Olympics. I'm ready for some fresh takes. I have to think the suits at USA Swimming are ready too. And his teammates...won't they be tired of seeing Lochte still get press on this, after this?

Perhaps the delay of the Games further challenges his comeback. We'll see. We should wish him well as he continues to mature. I just don't need or want to hear about it.

p.s. we did take a cab at 4 a.m. the next night, and made it with no problem to the airport. Rio was great!

Despite global outcry, Navid Afkari has been executed. A national-level wrestler in Iran, his case drew attention from the sporting community, including athletes, the International Olympic Committee (I.O.C.), Global Athlete, the World Players Association, and even the MMA, and beyond, as the murky circumstances of his trial and sentencing have all the earmarks of a sham trial and punishment-as-an-example.

Unfortunately, the world’s sports leaders’ opinions didn’t matter much. Accused of the murder of a security guard during protests against the government, Afkari’s alleged crime was not directly connected to his athletics or competition — although his sentencing was certainly due to his high national profile as an athlete.

Afkari’s death may hopefully serve a purpose in sport, as it now brings more attention to the broader complications of Iran on the global sports stage. The country has long made sports a platform for political expression, a provocation against the ideals of pure competition, outlined in places such as the Olympic Charter.

At the Athens 2004 Olympics, Iranian judoka Arash Miresmaeili no-showed for his first round 66-kilogram match and was promptly disqualified. For an athlete who was his nation’s flag-bearer at the Opening Ceremony, and already a two-time Asian Champion and two-time World Champion in that weight class, and maybe the favorite for the gold medal, such carelessness was surprising, at minimum.
Officially, Miresmaeili was reported as having failed a pre-match weigh-in. But surely something more nefarious than a reckless diet was afoot; his opponent in that first match was Ehud Vaks, an Israeli. Ahead of the competition, Miresmaeili lobbied a personal boycott of the tournament, in objection to Team Israel’s presence, and in support of Iran’s official antagonism against Israel. Had his official withdrawal been recorded as politically motivated — as he had threatened earlier — Iran’s judo federation would have faced discipline. Luckily for him, and for Team Iran, Games authorities and judo record books accepted his excuse and a deeper political scandal was avoided.

But this was surely at the expense of Team Israel’s dignity and a breach of the Olympic Charter, which prohibits politicization of competition and fair access. Most outrageously, Miresmaeili was congratulated back home and awarded the same governmental prize as gold medalists. He also was elected later as the president of Iran’s judo federation.

It was not the first time Israel has faced such protests on the athletic field. It wasn’t even the first in judo. In 2001, Hamed Malekmohammadi defaulted his match against Yoel Razvozov at the World Championships. And the list goes on — not just in judo, but swimming, taekwondo, fencing, badminton, and more. Other nationalities have been culprits as well, but Iranians far outpace others in these self-appointed boycotts.

Fast forward to 2019, when Iranian Saied Mollaei defected to Germany after not agreeing to withdraw from the Judo World Championships to avoid a potential matchup against Israeli Sagi Muki in the final. Other high-profile defections have occurred since as well.

Notably, Mollaei’s allegations of withdrawal pressure came after Iran reportedly agreed — directly to the International Judo Federation — to allow free competition against Israelis.

If that is true, a subsequent reassurance to the I.O.C. surely cannot be trusted by I.O.C. president Thomas Bach, can it? It would be convenient for Bach to believe it so. Chances are he’ll be tested on this in short order.

The refreshing chink in Iran’s boycott armor provided by Mollaei was buoyed by the subsequent indefinite suspension of Iran’s judo federation. (Note: the Iranians are appealing.)

Back to the present. As Afkari’s death shows, the Iranian government still does see sports figures as political pawns, and the temptation to do so again on the Olympic and world stage may be too much.

Currently, soccer World Cup organizers are under pressure to ensure Iran eases restrictions on women watching soccer live. This comes on the heels of Sahar Khodayari committing suicide after arrest when attempting to watch a men’s soccer match. Her crime? Just that — trying to watch a soccer game live. That this has prompted much belated scrutiny on upcoming World Cup qualifiers to be held in Iran is welcome.

Between backlash from Afkari’s and Khodayari’s deaths and the rising defections, perhaps momentum may be here to challenge Iranian status quo in abusing sports. Its sports must remain free of politicization, and the world’s sporting bodies must take advantage of this momentum. Organizations such as Global Athlete are trying to keep pressure on United World Wrestling and the I.O.C. following the Afkari tragedy, and the other groups must follow.

Iranian athletes excel internationally in judo, wrestling, weightlifting, volleyball, and more. They provide quality, passionate competition when allowed to do so. Its athletes should be free to compete and prove their mettle. They need the sporting community to hold Iran to the ideals of sport. As Joel Bouzou of the World Olympians Association says of athletes, “They possess the power to transcend sport to promote diversity, tolerance and positive values that make a difference everywhere.”
​
Let’s hope the time is now.

In January 2008, World Athletics (then known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation, or IAAF) ruled that double-leg amputee Oscar Pistorius was ineligible for able-bodied competition. This, based on research they conducted on his "cheetah" blades of prosthesis, determining an unfair advantage over able-bodied competitors. Pistorius subsequently went to appeal, and emerged victorious two months later at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). This court ruled that Pistorius' blades did not give him an advantage, or at least that the IAAF did not prove that they did, based on further independent research. A quick turnaround then was needed from the IAAF in the world of public relations, and both the IAAF and the International Olympic Committee issued quick statements of support for Pistorius' ambitions.

Pistorius did not qualify for Beijing 2008, but he did for subsequent able-bodied competitions, including the IAAF's 2011 World Championships (earning a silver medal in the 4x400 meter relay) and the London 2012 Olympics. At London, he became a superstar icon of the sport, noticeably marketed as a draw by broadcasters and media partners. Oscar Pistorius was a welcome example of the inclusive and welcoming spirit of competition that the Olympics and its signature sport, track and field, can showcase. 

Cut to this week, where Caster Semenya was dealt another blow in her appeal for World Athletics to allow her to compete. Semenya, who had been competing under World Athletics competition, and a two-time Olympic gold medalist already, was suddenly told in 2018 that she was not eligible anymore in her target event of 800 meters.

At that time, the IAAF classified runners of Difference of Sexual Development (DSD) as ineligible to compete in races from 400 meters to a mile, unless they submitted to a testosterone-reducing regimen. In short, women they deemed as having too much testosterone were - are - banned from those distances.

This immediately targeted Semenya, long subjected to criticisms of her femininity counting back to her London 2012 debut, as well as both of the other Rio 2016 800 meters medalists, Francine Niyonsaba and Margaret Wambui. Most recently, sprinter Aminatou Seyni has been blocked from her best event of 400 meters due to the restrictions. Semenya appealed the IAAF's ruling, first at the CAS and then the Swiss Supreme Court, losing the latter and maybe final case this week.

World Athletics maintains their new rules are based on science and research, and that preventing women with higher-testosterone levels from competing naturally maintains an "even playing field". But when is naturally-inherent sporting skill beholden to an "even playing field"? I don't recall anyone telling swimmer Michael Phelps that his specific and unique natural-born attributes were an unfair advantage.

One striking item about the World Athletics DSD rule is that it only restricts affected athletes from specific events, from the 400 meters to the mile. Why no restrictions from the other events their research showed as possibly compromised by DSD athletes, the pole vault and hammer throw? Put simply, there's no need for those events to have restrictions, as there isn't currently any (presumed) DSD athlete significantly competing in them. So, the rule is really about targeting Semenya, and Niyonsaba and others, and artificially ensuring closer competition.

Not to bash Phelps, but his continued dominance over his rivals has been celebrated time after time. Why should a woman's dominance not be as celebrated as unique?

I hold still to my initial thought when I read of Semenya's latest setback this week. She was born a woman. She was born with higher testosterone than other woman may be. She is still a woman. She should be able to compete as one.

Another troubling aspect is that, so far to the public's eye, the DSD ruling is affecting only African-born women: Semenya (from South Africa), Niyonsaba (Burundi), Wangui (Kenya), Senyi (Niger). Aspects of European-based bureaucrats deciding who is and isn't a "legal" woman has unfortunate shades of colonial racism. Again, some women may be born with higher testosterone. They are still women. Semenya's particular against-the-standardized-grain of femininity is surely a factor as well.

​World Athletics had - has - an opportunity for applauding natural diversity of athletes, and in this case, of its women. And, as with its initial restrictions on Oscar Pistorius, the governing body has woefully missed it. Rather than standing for what it perceived to be correct femininity, it would have been far more braver and inclusive to proudly stand for naturally-given talent, no matter how dominating. Remember how celebratory Pistorius' appearance had been?

Wherever Semenya goes next -she has entertained the idea of trying the 200 meters - she remains a champion of the sport, and of womanhood. I'll be cheering.