iansworldofsports

Water Sports at the 2020 Olympics

Welcome to Day 2 of the 2020 Olympics! At least, I think it is day 2. My body is physically on US but mentally on Tokyo time, so I’m not quite sure anymore. If I still remember my name by the end of the Games, I’ll be doing well. Today we’ll be looking at theContinue reading “Water Sports at the 2020 Olympics”

Swimming at the 2020 Olympics

Swimming has been an ever-present discipline at every modern Games and, along with athletics, is generally considered one of the highlight sports of the games. The swimming at these Games promises to be no exception, with plenty of storied rivalries – both personal and national – on show. On the Women’s side, the Games seemContinue reading “Swimming at the 2020 Olympics”

Martial Arts at the 2020 Olympics

In this post we’ll be looking at the ‘Martial Arts’ at this Summer’s Games. Or, if you prefer, the ‘Fighting Arts’ – Judo, Karate and Taekwondo. Wrestling, which could well be included will have its own post closer to that event’s start later in the Games. Fairly unsurprisingly, we should expect the home nation (andContinue reading “Martial Arts at the 2020 Olympics”

Racket Sports at the 2020 Olympics

Welcome to the first ‘proper’ day of the Games! I hope you’re all as excited as I am. We’re about halfway through the predictions (who knew there were so many events?!?) but we’re close to finishing the events that start over this first weekend. In this post we’ll be looking at the three racket sportsContinue reading “Racket Sports at the 2020 Olympics”

Boxing at the 2020 Olympics

Boxing at the Olympic Games has always retained its amateur status, although many of the athletes who have competed – and medalled – have gone on to become household names in the professional ranks, including Lennox Lewis, George Foreman, Joe Frazier and, of course, the greatest of them all, Muhammad Ali (then still known asContinue reading “Boxing at the 2020 Olympics”

Weapon Sports at the 2020 Olympics

It’s Opening Ceremony Day! After the quiet start that inevitably happens with the preliminary matches in some of the team sports preceding the ceremony, the real ‘meat’ of the Games starts tomorrow (or today, depending on where you are in the world). For a nerd like me, this next fortnight will be magical, even inContinue reading “Weapon Sports at the 2020 Olympics”

Gymnastics at the 2020 Olympics

I considered just calling this article ‘Simone Biles at the 2020 Olympics’. Because – especially if you live in the USA – you’re going to be hearing about her a lot over the next week or two. Put simply, Biles is on another level to most of her competition. She has won 23 gold medalsContinue reading “Gymnastics at the 2020 Olympics”

Rowing at the 2020 Olympics

To quote the esteemed Lt. George in Blackadder Goes Fourth – “Row, row, row your punt, gently down the stream…” I’d best stop there. However, the rowing at the Olympics will be considerably less sedate than that suggested in the above ditty. Lt. George himself might not have known this, but the actor playing him,Continue reading “Rowing at the 2020 Olympics”

Weightlifting at the 2020 Olympics

The podiums for the Weightlifting events at this summer’s Olympics will have both a familiar and yet different feel to them, if such a thing is possible. The familiarity will come from China. Chinese lifters won 5 golds at the 2016 games and could easily match – even potentially comfortably exceed – that record thisContinue reading “Weightlifting at the 2020 Olympics”

Cycling at the 2020 Olympics

For the last 3 Games, it would be fair to say that Cycling was a discipline dominated by the British. There were 54 gold medals awarded in Cycling between 2008 and 2016. The British won 22 of them. The next most successful nation over that same period – the Netherlands – won just 4. ForContinue reading “Cycling at the 2020 Olympics”