Tokyo Summer Olympics

WBUR's full coverage of the Tokyo Summer Olympics.

Katie Norbury (14) of Princeton University plays defense against Wick Stanwick (9) of Georgetown University during the Division I Women's Lacrosse Championship held at Curley Field on the Loyola College campus in Baltimore, Maryland. Princeton defeated Georgetown 12-7 for the national title. (Larry French/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

Title IX didn't fix everything

Fifty years after the landmark law passed, disparities persist between the expectations set for male and female athletes, writes Amory Rowe Salem.

Cognoscenti

Jul 12, 2022

David Brown, left, and guide Moray Steward win the 100 Meter Dash Saturday, June 19, 2021 at the U.S. Paralympic Team Trials for Track and Field in Minneapolis. (Mark Reis)

Meet Paralympian David Brown, The World's Fastest Blind Runner

David Brown was diagnosed with Kawasaki disease at 15 months old, which led him to lose his sight by the age of 13.

Here & Now

10:40Aug 18, 2021

An Olympic Summer Games To Remember

Here's what to look for before the closing ceremony.

Here & Now

05:48Aug 6, 2021

General view of the opening ceremonies of the VII Olympic Games on April 20, 1920, in Antwerp, Belgium. (Getty Images)

Historian Recalls Another Time The Olympics Were Held During A Pandemic

Belgium hosted the Olympics just months after the 1918 influenza pandemic killed at least 50 million people around the world.

Here & Now

08:40Aug 5, 2021

USA's Ariel Atkins (R) looks for a pass during ithe women's quarter-final basketball match between Australia and USA during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama on Aug. 4, 2021. (Thomas COEX COEX/AFP via Getty Images)

U.S. Women's Basketball Winning Streak Continues In Tokyo Olympics; Japan Dominates Skateboarding

After a commanding victory over Australia into Wednesday's quarterfinal, the U.S. women's basketball team is aiming for an unprecedented 7th straight gold medal.

Here & Now

03:28Aug 4, 2021

Decorated Olympian Simone Biles Wins Bronze Medal In Tokyo Olympics

Biles withdrew from the games last week, citing mental health concerns.

Here & Now

03:47Aug 3, 2021

Rebecca Meyers of United States celebrates after winning Women's 400 m Freestyle S13 during day 4 of the Para Swimming World Championship in Mexico City on November 5, 2017. (Hector Vivas/Getty Images)

Swimmer Becca Meyers' Ordeal Shows Even The Paralympics Doesn't Listen To Disabled People

By refusing Becca Meyers, a deaf-blind swimmer, a personal care attendant, the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee is treating her like a burden, writes Aimee Christian. That's the very behavior...

Cognoscenti

Aug 3, 2021

Refugee athlete Shahrad Nasajpour, originally from Iran, trains in Tuscon, Arizona for the sport of discus. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

From Iran To Arizona To Tokyo: The Journey Of Paralympian Shahrad Nasajpour

Shahrad Nasajpour is among the six athletes on the Paralympic Refugee team this year. He is an Iranian refugee living in Arizona who will compete in the discus throw.

Here & Now

09:34Aug 2, 2021

U.S. Women's Soccer Team Defeated In Tokyo Olympics

Gymnast Simone Biles is set to return to an individual competition event, after withdrawing for mental health reasons.

Here & Now

05:30Aug 2, 2021

Pauline Schaefer-Betz, of Germany, performs her floor exercise routine during the women's artistic gymnastic qualifications at the 2020 Summer Olympics, in Tokyo. (Gregory Bull/AP)

Years After #MeToo Movement, Women Athletes Are Still Fighting Sexualization

At the Tokyo Olympics, some athletes on the German women's gymnastics team decided to compete in full-length unitards instead of high-cut bodysuits.

Here & Now

10:19Aug 2, 2021

Naomi Osaka of Japan prepares to return to Viktorija Golubic of Switzerland during second round of the tennis competition at the 2020 Summer Olympics on July 26, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (Patrick Semansky/AP)

Netflix's 'Naomi Osaka' Documentary Shows Tennis Star's Struggles On And Off The Court

The new series is an especially relevant watch this week when Osaka faltered in the Olympics after being its torchbearer.

Here & Now

06:04Jul 30, 2021

U.S. Women's Soccer Beats The Netherlands, Advances To Semifinals In Tokyo

The U.S. team wants to become the first-ever reigning Women's World Cup champion to take home Olympic gold.

Here & Now

03:47Jul 30, 2021

Simone Biles competes during the gymnastics world championships on October 8, 2019 in Baden-Wuerttemberg, Stuttgart, Germany. (Tom Weller/picture alliance via Getty Images)

Simone Biles Can Fly, But She's So Much More Than Her Wings

I am constantly reminding myself that I don't have anything to prove, writes Theresa Okokon. Neither do you. And neither does Simone.

Cognoscenti

06:13Jul 30, 2021

Simone Biles of Team United States smiles during the Women's Team Final on day four of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Ariake Gymnastics Centre on July 27, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

Simone Biles' Competitive Glory Will Fade. But Her Message About Mental Health Will Endure

Long after the cauldron’s flame is extinguished in Tokyo, writes Melissa Ludtke, Biles’ words will burn brightly.

Cognoscenti

Jul 29, 2021

COVID-19 Knocks Top American Out Of Olympics

Sam Kendricks, a two-time world champion, has tested positive for coronavirus.

Here & Now

04:59Jul 29, 2021

Gymnast Dominique Dawes of the USA, a medalist at the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia, poses outside Washington, D.C. (Doug Pensinger/Allsport)

Olympic Gold Medalist Dominique Dawes Sheds Light On What Simone Biles Is Going Through

Dominique Dawes was the first Black American woman to win an individual Olympic medal in gymnastics.

Here & Now

11:01Jul 29, 2021

Simone Biles waits to perform on the vault during the artistic gymnastics women's final at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 27, 2021, in Tokyo. (Gregory Bull/AP)

Simone Biles' Olympics Withdrawal Puts Focus On The Pressure Gymnasts, Other Athletes Face

Gymnastics prizes physical and mental perfection — which can lead athletes to push themselves beyond their capacities.

Here & Now

09:40Jul 29, 2021

American Olympic gold medalist Billy Mills running in 1965. (AP Photo)

Looking Back On Billy Mills' Upset Win At The 1964 Tokyo Olympics

The victory was a triumph that grew from the discrimination he faced growing up as the son of white and Native American parents.

Here & Now

09:43Jul 29, 2021

On this Oct. 10, 1964, file photo, balloons fly over Olympians and spectators during the opening ceremony of the 1964 Summer Olympics at the National Stadium in Tokyo. The famous 1964 Tokyo Olympics highlighted Japan’s resiliency. It was a prospering country that was showing off bullet trains, transistor radios, and a restored reputation just 19 years after devastating defeat in World War II. (AP)

Remembering The 1964 Tokyo Olympics

Tokyo hosted the Olympics in 1964, representing Japan's symbolic rebirth after the devastation of World War II.

Here & Now

09:35Jul 28, 2021

Japan's Naomi Osaka returns the ball to Czech Republic's Marketa Vondrousova during their Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games women's singles third round tennis match at the Ariake Tennis Park in Tokyo on July 27, 2021. (Tiziana FABI / AFP via Getty Images)

The 'Simultaneity' Of Naomi Osaka

Watching Naomi Osaka reinforced for me that she will not be hammered down, writes Anri Wheeler. She speaks out when she wants to, and stays silent when it is an...

Cognoscenti

Jul 28, 2021

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Title IX didn't fix everything

Meet Paralympian David Brown, The World's Fastest Blind Runner

An Olympic Summer Games To Remember

Historian Recalls Another Time The Olympics Were Held During A Pandemic

U.S. Women's Basketball Winning Streak Continues In Tokyo Olympics; Japan Dominates Skateboarding

Decorated Olympian Simone Biles Wins Bronze Medal In Tokyo Olympics

Swimmer Becca Meyers' Ordeal Shows Even The Paralympics Doesn't Listen To Disabled People

From Iran To Arizona To Tokyo: The Journey Of Paralympian Shahrad Nasajpour

U.S. Women's Soccer Team Defeated In Tokyo Olympics

Years After #MeToo Movement, Women Athletes Are Still Fighting Sexualization

Netflix's 'Naomi Osaka' Documentary Shows Tennis Star's Struggles On And Off The Court

U.S. Women's Soccer Beats The Netherlands, Advances To Semifinals In Tokyo

Simone Biles Can Fly, But She's So Much More Than Her Wings

Simone Biles' Competitive Glory Will Fade. But Her Message About Mental Health Will Endure

COVID-19 Knocks Top American Out Of Olympics

Olympic Gold Medalist Dominique Dawes Sheds Light On What Simone Biles Is Going Through

Simone Biles' Olympics Withdrawal Puts Focus On The Pressure Gymnasts, Other Athletes Face

Looking Back On Billy Mills' Upset Win At The 1964 Tokyo Olympics

Remembering The 1964 Tokyo Olympics

The 'Simultaneity' Of Naomi Osaka