Category Archives: Olympics

TV Network Admits It Covered Olympic Opening Ceremony In ‘Inappropriate’ Way

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South Korean TV network MBC’s coverage of the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony on Friday went awry when it used what it has now admitted were “inappropriate” photos and captions to refer to countries competing in the games.

The broadcaster drew the most ire on Twitter after it showed a photograph of Chernobyl — the site of the 1986 nuclear power plant disaster ― as Ukraine’s athletes entered the National Stadium, reported Agence France-Presse.

MBC also used pictures of pizza when Italy’s representatives arrived, salmon for Norway, sushi for Japan, a scene of unrest for Haiti, and a depiction of the fictional Dracula for Romania, according to Reuters.

Critics called out the network for propagating national stereotypes with its choice of images.

The Chernobyl image prompted the most anger.

“In today’s Opening Ceremony broadcast, inappropriate photos were used when introducing countries like Ukraine and Haiti,” MBC said in a statement, per the New Zealand Herald. “Also, inappropriate photos and subtitles were used for other countries. We apologise to the viewers of Ukraine and other countries.”

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The Aerials, Slides And Wipeouts Of Skateboarding’s First Olympics

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Skateboarders have their first-ever chance for an Olympic gold.

The men’s street competition began Saturday, giving audiences their first taste of the rebel “anti-sport” on the global athletics stage. Women’s street begins Sunday, and the park competition for women and men debuts August 3 and 4.

Two of the Olympic’s youngest stars will participate in park — Team GB’s 13-year-old Sky Brown and Kokona Hiraki of Japan, who is 12.

The street course was created to model real-world obstacles like stair cases and railings. The park course has the giant bowls and half-pipes seen in skateparks. Check out these incredible images of Olympic Street Skateboarding’s debut.

Ezra Shaw via Getty Images

Vincent Milou of Team France competes at the Skateboarding Men’s Street Prelims on day two of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Ariake Urban Sports Park.

Ezra Shaw via Getty Images

Nyjah Huston of Team USA practises prior the Skateboarding Men’s Street Prelims on day two of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Ezra Shaw via Getty Images

Jake Ilardi of Team USA competes at the Skateboarding Men’s Street Prelims.

Dan Mullan via Getty Images

Sora Shirai of Team Japan competes at the Skateboarding Men’s Street Prelims.

Dan Mullan via Getty Images

Gustavo Felipe of Team Brazil competes at the Skateboarding Men’s Street Prelims Heat 1.

MARTIN BERNETTI via Getty Images

Jagger Eaton of the US takes a fall as he competes in the men’s street prelims heat 1.

Ezra Shaw via Getty Images

Yuto Horigome of Team Japan competes at the Skateboarding Men’s Street Prelims.

MARTIN BERNETTI via Getty Images

Jake Ilardi of the US competes in the men’s street prelims heat 2.

MARTIN BERNETTI via Getty Images

Brazil’s Kelvin Hoefler takes a fall as he competes in the men’s street prelims heat 2.

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Australia’s Shane O’Neill competes in the men’s street prelims heat 2.

JEFF PACHOUD via Getty Images

Brazil’s Gustavo Felipe reacts as he competes in the men’s street prelims heat 1 during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

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Japanese Video Game Music Gets Big Moment At Olympic Opening Ceremony

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Fans of Japanese video games couldn’t believe their ears as Olympic athletes paraded into Tokyo’s National Stadium during the opening ceremony for the 2020 Games on Friday: the orchestra was playing tunes from some of their favourite games.

In a celebration of Japanese popular culture that is appreciated worldwide, the entry parade was set to tunes from games developed by Sega, Capcom and Square Enix. 

It kicked off with “Overture: Roto’s Theme” from Dragon Quest. Next up was “Victory Fanfare” from Final Fantasy. The parade featured more tunes from Monster Hunter, Soulcaliber and Sonic the Hedgehog. (Check out the original list in Japanese from Nikkan Sports, or in English from Polygon.) 

According to Classic FM, the music from Kingdom Hearts was composed by Yoko Shimomura, who is responsible for the music for some of the biggest video games ever made. Fans were delighted to hear her work being incorporated into the ceremony.

While the list didn’t feature widely recognised tunes from cultural juggernauts like Mario Bros. or The Legend of Zelda, the music helped give a sense of atmosphere to the ceremony, which was held in almost an empty stadium due to coronavirus restrictions.

Olympians waved mostly for the cameras in the made-for-TV ceremony, which only had about 1,000 people in attendance at the 68,000-capacity stadium ― VIPs like Japanese Emperor Naruhito, first lady Jill Biden, members of the International Olympic Committee and journalists. 

In another nod to Japanese pop culture, the placard for each country’s delegation was in the style of a speech bubble from manga, which is Japanese comics and graphic novels. The signs had the country’s name in English on one side and Japanese on another.

Natacha Pisarenko via AP

Snaefridur Sol Jorunnardottir and Anton Mckee, of Iceland, carry their country’s flag during the opening ceremony.

And in another tribute to Japanese pop culture, the Google Doodle, which is accessed by going to the google.com home page, also starts out with an anime-inspired theme, then moves to an incredibly elaborate ’80s-style arcade game.

The exposure to anime and manga from the Tokyo Games may serve to make the art forms even more popular worldwide, said Susan Napier, a professor of rhetoric and Japanese studies at Tufts University, according to The Washington Post.

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