The Tokyo 2020 Olympics will probably go down as one of the most memorable in its history. It won’t just be because of the postponement, forced resignations from misogynist officials before the games even started, and the myth of the “anti-sex” beds in the Olympic Village. Oh, no. There’s a lot more going on this year. From historic wins on and off stage to major political blunders, the Olympics is mega spicy.
We’ve listed down some of the moments that had us going, “Seriously?!” Here are our picks for the good, the bad, and the totally unexpected highlights of Tokyo 2020 so far.
Getting a short haircut is apparently misandrist
Getting canceled for being a “feminist” isn’t something that sounds like it could happen in 2021, but that’s exactly what South Korean record-breaking archer An San is facing right now. A group of anti-feminist man trolls are currently demanding that the Korean Archery Association take her Olympic gold medals away because of the following: She “has short hair, goes to a women’s only college, uses man-hating slangs, wears badges commemorating the Sewol Ferry incident, is a fan of Mamamoo, and from Gwangju,” as per translated Instagram comments by an activist Twitter account. She sounds like a headstrong, politicized gal. Good for her!
The group claims that they’ve proven that she’s a misandrist—with some of them admitting that although it’s baseless, they’re not giving up since they’ve already been emboldened in the past. The group has been targeting famous South Korean women and brands. Among the brands that have issued an unneeded apology to them is Starbucks. Here’s hoping An San and her team don’t cave to these incels.
Uniform rules that feels like they should stay in the past
Female Olympians have been fighting sexualization since they were allowed to participate in the 1900s. This year the fight continued with the German women’s gymnastics team wearing full-body suits as a statement to allow female athletes to wear what makes them feel comfortable. These seemingly arbitrary Olympic rules demand that some women cover up more and others less. Why should it matter so much?
Speaking of uniform rules, the International Swimming Federation (FINA) banned swim caps that were designed for natural Black hair. The organization stated that the caps did not fit “the natural form of the head” and to their “best knowledge the athletes competing at the international events never used, neither require…caps of such size and configuration.”
The incident is part of a long list of anti-Black decisions that penalized and barred several Black female athletes from participating in the games. Celebrating a number of Black athletes isn’t enough to be inclusive if the institution still upholds discriminatory rules, Olympics.
Historic trans inclusion, finally
It isn’t all bad news, though. This year, weightlifter Laurel Hubbard became the first transgender athlete to compete (though she isn’t the only trans althlete who tried to qualify) and canoe judge Kimberly Daniels became the first openly transgender official in the games.
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“I guess I am a pioneer here today. I was really hoping to come out and be quiet,” said Daniels. “My goal was always to be seen as a woman, now I have to see myself as a transgender woman and that is also a big step.”
The rise of the Margielyn simps
We’ve talked about how the wins of athletes such as Hidilyn Diaz can affect the local sports industry. Did we mention that we loved to see our underfunded athletes finally getting the bag? But apart from that, we also want to bring up the Margielyn Didal fancams that have popped up.
British diver Tom Daley used to be the Olympian that had people in a chokehold. Now, the TikTok and skateboarding star (who’s basically been adopted by Brazil) is the one stealing hearts. We fully support all the Didal stans.
Art by Pammy Orlina
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