Who can forget Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe dressed as video game character 'Super Mario' to help introduce the Tokyo 2020 preview at the Rio 2016 Closing Ceremonies? The indelible image is a classic.

Beyond that, he was noted as a 'valiant supporter and a dear friend of the Olympic Movement' from the International Olympic Committee.

​R.I.P.

Sevens Heaven: The Beautiful Chaos of Fiji's Olympic Dream (2018)
A Quick Book Review

Seeing small Pacific island nation Fiji secure a gold medal at Tokyo 2020 may have been an unusual sight for some, but for those paying attention, it might have seemed as the start of a potential dynasty in rugby sevens. Team Fiji entered this summer's Olympic tournament as defending champions from Rio 2016, after all, so the second gold confirmed that the first wasn't a fluke.

But in some ways, 2016's win was a fluke. The "beautiful chaos" of Fijian rugby during the few years' run-up to Rio is charmingly outlined in Ben Ryan's Sevens Heaven.

Recounting his adventures leading the squad to Fiji's first-ever Olympic medal, Ryan offers a picture of a frustratingly disorganized yet talented system that both challenges and inspires. As an Englishman standing out as a rank outsider in the South Pacific, Ryan is able to objectively observe, and relate, the idiosyncrasies unique to Fijian sport and rugby.

Some of it is might be expected from a first world-er's point of view - government (mis)oversight, bureaucratic lethargy, fiscal problems dealt with by a shrug, logistical difficulties of transportation and basic operations. Add in a mix of Fijian reverence for family time over training, bad diet, unhealthy habits from an underserved and underdeveloped community, and more, and you get a true fish-out-of-water story.

But Ryan perseveres through the tumult, learning - and passing on - an appreciation for each team member's personal challenges and foibles, while navigating the community's 'coconut wireless' of feedback and second guessing. The journey to Rio gold took a toll on Ryan, but the result of a medal for Fiji was inspiration.

What Sevens Heaven shows in retrospect after the team's Tokyo 2020's successful defense is that Fiji is certainly a power. Despite all its foibles. While Ryan had powered the team to nine individual World Series tournament titles and the 2015-15 overall title, Fiji's mercurial talent lived on the edge of meltdown at any given stage. How would they react at such a grand, bright stage of a first Olympics against the well-funded and well-prepared rivals from New Zealand, Great Britain, South Africa, and Australia? Turns out...very well. In Sevens heaven, it's hard not agree that Fiji really is 'everyone's second favorite team'.

What may add to the team's vexing charm is that Tokyo 2020's gold medal team only featured one returning player from the Rio squad. That Team Fiji can reproduce a gold medal run with essentially a new team indicates a depth of spirit and talent that belies and, for now, overcomes, that 'beautiful chaos'.
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So...now...where's the published saga of the Fijiana, Team's Fiji's women's rugby sevens team that won the bronze medal at Tokyo 2020? As much fun as it was to follow the men's exploits, a now-Fiji fan reader yearns to hear more of what the women went through for their Olympic milestone!

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!

Earlier this summer in June at FIFA's U-20 World Cup, Fiji provided what a lot of people thought was a historic upset: a 3-0 win over favored Honduras in their second group stage match. Though they had lost their first match (1-8) to Germany, this one win had for the moment not only captured football's attention, but also given them a moment's thought that they could reach the next round. That was special, especially as they were actually lucky to be at the tournament at all. As Australia plays its international football as part of Asia, New Zealand has usually been seen the dominant force, and the rest of the region as falling short in quality. With the balance of power and competitiveness in the sport more prevalent in Europe and other regions, Oceania has usually drawn the short-end of the space allotments in international tournament draws. But as the host nation, New Zealand earned an automatic berth, which meant that in this year, the lucky Oceania Football Confederation was granted a rare second allotment. Fiji won that spot after defeating the remainder of Oceania's field in qualifying. And, they certainly took advantage, playing competitively and spiritedly during their time, although losing the third match to Uzbekistan 0-3 and bowing out.

But they helped proved a point; that Oceania football is more competitive than what many may have thought. And, that New Zealand isn't necessarily always the top player in the region. In fact, signs have been there. New Zealand's 2-4 loss against Vanuatu in the 2004 OFC Nations Cup prevented them from making the final round, and they eventually finished third behind Australia and the Solomon Islands. In 2012, New Caledonia shocked the New Zealanders in the semifinal, 2-0, in a tournament Tahiti eventually won. Oceania's members may not strike fear elsewhere on the globe, but their internal rivalry and skill seems to increasing. While New Zealand's senior team is ranked 136th globally, the rest of the region is fairly close together - between New Caledonia at 167 and Fiji at 199 are five other federation sides. Granted, this may represent the bottom of the FIFA rankings barrel, but does indicate close intra-federation rivalries.

Which brings us back to Fiji and that U-20 side. Many of those players who scored that historic victory in New Zealand came back to the team for the Pacific Games U-23 tournament, doubling as the Olympic qualifying event for Oceania. Again, New Zealand entered as the heavy favorite, but in a shocking and confusing disqualification, were ruled out. With the door opened, Fiji emerged as the titleist over Vanuatu. And so, Fiji finds itself with a ticket to Rio 2016 and the Olympics. Who knows - might Fiji have scored in upset over New Zealand in the final? Maybe...they've won international big moment games before. Just look back to June, and ironically, in New Zealand. And, just as in that U-20 run with having a little luck in getting entry, they perhaps had a little luck in getting entry to Rio with the disqualification. But here's hoping they take advantage of the moment again, and score a goal or two - or a win. Fiji is on board now in world football. Let's enjoy that.
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