FINA to splash millions on African strategy After an Olympics of too little diversity in the Paris Olympics, newly elected FINA president Hungary’s Rita swimming pool, and less on the medal podium, Husain al-Musallam told The Associated Press, Keszthelyi (8) shoots the sport’s governing body is investing tens of pledging to make student-athletes a priority. against the Russian millions of dollars to change that by 2024. “I believe there will be a lot of athletes com- Olympic Committee Elite training centers in Africa and scholar- ing from Africa in swimming and they will reach during the women’s ship programs worldwide are part of a strat- the podium,” al-Musallam said in an interview water polo bronze egy to help athletes emerge from outside the at the Tokyo Aquatics Center. “When you give medal match at sport’s power bases. Of 105 medals won in opportunity to everybody they perform. Africans the 2020 Summer the pool at the Tokyo Games, almost half have a lack of resources, especially for aquatic Olympics, on Aug 7, in went to Americans and Australians. Only sport.” Tokyo, Japan. (AP) three were won by Africans, and none of One stand-out story in Tokyo was 18-year- those by Black swimmers. old Ahmed Hafnaoui of Tunisia, who won a sur- That picture should be different at the 2024 prise gold in the 400 freestyle. (AP) ARAB TIMES, SUNDAY, AUGUST 8, 2021 15 The Perseverance Games Surreal Olympics approach end US overwhelm Spain to win TOKYO, Aug 7, (AP): The caul- top tennis players demanding their dron will be snuffed Sunday on the matches be rescheduled, a request exhausting, enlightening, some- that went unheeded until Paula Ba- times enraging 2020 Tokyo Olym- dosa left the court in a wheelchair pics - held, actually, in 2021. These with heatstroke and Daniil Medve- 3rd straight water polo gold are the Games that were to be toler- dev told the chair umpire, “I can fi n- ated, not celebrated. ish the match but I can die. If I die, They will be both. are you going to be responsible?” Imperfect but not impossible, And about mental health: During Hungary beat Russian team for bronze medal these Olympics - willed into ex- a teary post-race interview, sprinter istence despite a pandemic that Noah Lyles conceded he came as sparked worldwide skepticism and much to run as to spread the gos- TOKYO, Aug 7, (AP): hard-wired opposition from Japan’s pel that became the slogan of these Maddie Musselman held own citizens - just might go down fraught Games held during fraught as the Games that changed sports times: It’s OK not to be OK. her phone out, and the U.S. for good. And about gender equity and in- women’s water polo team These became the Olympics clusion: The International Olympic gathered for a picture on where the athletes had their say. The Committee added fi ve new sports Olympics where mental health be- and 18 new events for Tokyo to the top step of the podium. came as important as physical. The create an equal number of women It was a familiar scene. The dy- Olympics where tales of persever- and men for every sport, exclud- nasty is alive and well. ance - spoken, documented and dis- ing baseball and softball. But when Musselman scored three times, Ash- cussed loudly and at length - often Britain’s fi rst female Black swim- leigh Johnson made 11 saves and the overshadowed actual performance. mer was denied use of a cap that U.S. won its third consecutive gold It wasn’t only those who stood on fi t her voluminous afro, the conver- medal on Saturday, routing Spain 14-5 the medals stand at the hyper-scru- sation on a lack of diversity in the in the fi nal at the Tokyo Olympics. tinized pressure cooker in Tokyo, pool became louder. “We’re having fun out there, and I where spit tests for COVID-19 and “I just want people to know that think you could see that today,” Mus- sleeping on cardboard-framed beds no matter your race or background, selman said. “Everyone brought their were part of the daily routine. It was if you don’t know how to swim, best when their best was needed.” all of them. get in and learn to swim,” Alice Aria Fischer, Kaleigh Gilchrist and Their voices were heard, in big Dearing, co-founder of the Black Alys Williams had two goals apiece ways and small, through hundreds Swimming Association, said after as the U.S. improved to 134-4 since it of reminders that their mental and the women’s open water marathon. physical health were not for sale, “Don’t let anyone tell you it’s not won gold at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro not even to the $15.5 billion behe- for you.” Games. It broke its own records for moth that underwrites many of their IOC president Thomas Bach said most goals and biggest margin in the grandest dreams. two days before the close that the fi nal. Those voices were notably re- Tokyo Games “far exceeded my Maggie Steffens and Melissa Seide- fl ected in the words of Simone personal expectations,” because mann became the fi rst women to win Biles, who, early on, reset the con- when spectators were barred as three gold medals in women’s water versation when she pulled out of a pandemic precaution he feared polo. Musselman was named MVP, The United States women’s water polo team poses with their gold medals after defeating Spain at the 2020 Sum- the gymnastics meet, declaring her “these Olympic Games could be- and Johnson was selected as the top mer Olympics, on Aug. 7, in Tokyo, Japan. (AP) well-being was more important than come an Olympic Games without goalkeeper of the tournament. medals. soul.” The day belonged to the U.S. - again. “It was something that was so out Instead, Bach said, he found “In the moments where you want to of my control. At end of the day, my the intimacy in the empty venues be at your best, it’s like it’s just magic Olympic Medalists mental and physical health is better made for an intense atmosphere. “In when it happens,” Johnson said. “But than any medal,” said Biles, who many cases you did not realize that ... we’re putting in the work every benched herself while battling “the there were no spectators,” he said. day.” ARTISTIC SWIMMING Sandlie Sorum) Bronze: Lydia, Ko, New Zealand twisties.” “Maybe in some cases you could After falling 10-9 to Hungary in Team Silver: ROC, (Viacheslav, Krasilnikov, Oleg And by Naomi Osaka, the tennis even experience the feelings of the group play in its fi rst loss at the Olym- Gold: ROC (Svetlana, Romashina, Svetlana Stoyanovskiy) GYMNASTICS player who lit the cauldron on Day athletes closer and better than being Kolesnichenko, Aleksandra Patskevich, Alla Bronze: Qatar, (Cherif Younousse, Ahmed Ti- pics since the 2008 fi nal, the U.S. Shishkina, Maria Shurochkina, Vlada Chigi- jan) Individual All-Around 1, but only after spending the sum- surrounded by so many spectators.” ripped off four straight wins by a com- reva, Marina Goliadkina, Polina Komar) Gold: Linoy Ashram, Israel mer insisting that the world listen to It is Bach’s job to call the Olym- Silver: China (Wenyan Sun, Xuechen Huang, BOXING Silver: Dina Averina, ROC bined score of 63-26. Bronze: Alina Harnasko, Belarus her - really listen - instead of only pics a success. Maybe, though, “I think this team loves competition, Li Guo, Xinping Liang, Chengxin Yin, Yu Feng, Men’s Fly — (48-52kg) watching her on the court. The plan- that goal was met in Tokyo just so we want the hardest games and the Yanning Xiao, Qianyi Wang) Gold: Galal, Yafai, Britain HANDBALL et’s highest-paid female athlete and by reaching the fi nish line. But of Bronze: Ukraine (Vladyslava Aleksiiva, Maryna Silver: Carlo, Paalam, Philippines hardest moments,” Gilchrist said. Aleksiiva, Marta Fiedina, Kateryna Reznik, An- Bronze: Saken, Bibossinov, Kazakhstan Men the host country’s poster girl, she course there were highlights along The U.S. joins the men’s teams astasiya Savchuk, Kseniya Sydorenko, Yelyza- Bronze: Ryomei, Tanaka, Japan Gold: France, (Nedim, Remili, Romain, La- faced expectations that were hard the way. veta Yakhno, Alina Shynkarenko) Men’s Middle — (69-75kg) garde, Melvyn Richardson, Dika Mem, Nicolas from Britain (1908-1920) and Hunga- Tournat, Vincent Gerard, Nikola Karabatic, to handle. - Italy shockingly establishing ry (2000-2008) as the only countries to ATHLETICS Gold: Hebert, Sousa, Brazil “I defi nitely feel like there was a itself as a sprint power with a sur- Silver: Oleksandr, Khyzhniak, Ukraine Kentin Mahe, Yann Genty, Timothey Ngues- lot of pressure for this,” said Osaka, prise win by Marcell Jacobs in the win at least three straight water polo ti- Men’s —1500m Bronze: Gleb, Bakshi, ROC san, Luc Abalo, Michael Guigou, Luka Karaba- tles at the Olympics. It is the only team Gold: Jakob, Ingebrigtsen, Norway Bronze: Eumir, Marcial, Philippines tic, Ludovic Fabregas, Hugo Descat, Valentin choice of host country Japan to light men’s 100 meters followed by “four Silver: Timothy, Cheruiyot, Kenya Porte) the cauldron. Ferraris” teaming to win the 4X100 to medal in each of the six women’s Bronze: Josh, Kerr, Britain Women’s Fly — (48-51kg) Silver: Denmark, (Niklas, Landin, Magnus Lan- Hundreds of athletes found some relay for another gold medal. tournaments at the Games. Gold: Stoyka, Zhelyazkova, Krasteva, Bulgaria din, Emil Jakobsen, Magnus, Saugstrup, Lasse Maica Garcia had two goals for Men’s — 4 x 400m Relay Silver: Buse, Naz, Cakiroglu, Turkey Svan, Kevin Moeller, Henrik Moellgaard, Mads way to use their voices in ways they - Lydia Jacoby, the fi rst swimmer Gold: United States, (Michael, Cherry, Trevor Bronze: Tsukimi, Namiki, Japan Mensah, Henrik Toft Hansen, Mikkel Hansen, hadn’t considered until the Tokyo from Alaska in the Olympics won Spain, which has lost 13 in a row Stewart, Michael Norman, Randolph Ross, Bronze: Hsiao-Wen, Huang, Taiwan Morten Olsen, Johan Hansen, Lasse Anders- Bryce Deadmon, Rai Benjamin, Vernon Nor- Games - and the seismic 18 months gold, and Caeleb Dressel collecting against the U.S., including the fi nals Women’s Welter — (64-69kg) son, Jacob Holm, Mathias Gidsel) wood) Bronze: Spain, (Gonzalo, Perez, de Vargas that led up to it - all but commanded fi ve golds in the pool.