It may look like athletes in bobsled, luge and skeleton simply grab a sled and hang on until the bottom, but high-speed physics and tiny motions mean the difference between gold and a crash.
The International Olympic Committee has a demonstrated history of controlling athletes’ public statements, despite claiming that athletes are free to express their opinions in press conferences, in media interviews and on social media.
(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
A strong turnout by Chinese teams during the 2022 Winter Olympics could help build national pride in China — and, in turn, help Xi Jinping’s bid for a third term this year.
Why is it harder to build muscle as you age?
DjelicS/iStock via Getty Images
As people age, the chemical signaling pathways in muscles become less potent, and it gets harder to build muscle and maintain strength. But the health benefits of strength training only increase with age.
Taiwanese independence activists call for a boycott of the Beijing Games.
Walid Berrazeg/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Meredith Oyen, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Taiwanese authorities are allowing its tiny contingent to attend the opening ceremony in Beijing despite a long-running dispute over its name in the Olympics.
When we think of sports, we often think of them at the elite level, like professional or Olympic athletes.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
A strong sport system allows for coordinated policy implementation, evaluation and outcomes related to health, citizenship and community development that are accessible and realized for all Canadians.
A protest against the 2022 Beijing Olympics is held in Berlin, Germany on Jan. 4, 2022.
(AP Photo/Michael Sohn)
The International Olympic Committee’s position is clear. Human rights be damned. Refugees be damned. The Games must go on. The rest is window dressing.
A woman poses for a photo with a statue of the Winter Olympic mascot Bing Dwen Dwen near the Olympic Green in Beijing on Jan. 12, 2022.
(AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
The Olympics, and all “mega sports,” are inevitably embedded in the political contexts of their times. To dismiss or bypass the political issues that arise seems naïve at best.
After President Joe Biden called for a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Olympics, other countries are following suit.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Boris Minkevich
Throughout the pandemic, sporting organisations have proven they can organise large-scale events in a safe and responsible way, without mandated vaccines for athletes.
The editor of a Communist Party newspaper posted a video online that he said showed missing tennis star Peng Shuai as the ruling party tried to quell fears abroad while suppressing information in China about Peng after she accused a senior leader of sexual assault.
(AP Photo/Andy Brownbill)
The disappearance of Peng further underlines the need for an international boycott of the 2022 Beijing Olympics. The CCP’s assaults on democracy activists deserve more than willful blindness.
Beijing 2022 is on track to be the most politically-charged games ever.
Children wave national flags and Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games flags during a welcome ceremony for the Frame of Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 in October, 2021.
(AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Olympians and Paralympians can uplift the voices of Celil’s family and supporters by calling for his release over the next four months. Academics, journalists and activists should join in solidarity.
The sporting world is finally opening up for all athletes.
Activists wearing masks of IOC President Thomas Bach and Chinese President Xi Jinping pose in front of the Olympic Rings during a street protest in India against the holding of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
(AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)
Olympic broadcasters can help Canadians support the Uyghurs, Tibetans, pro-democracy advocates and others fighting for their human rights in China by cancelling their Olympic coverage.
Athletes must position themselves as brands to enhance their finances.
Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto via Getty Images
In a world where transhumanists seek to use technology to save humanity, and even to defeat death, surfing reminds humans of our staggering insignificance.
Annika Schleu of Germany cries when Saint Boy, the horse she was assigned to ride, wouldn’t co-operate in the equestrian portion of the modern pentathlon at the Tokyo Summer Olympics.
(AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
The treatment of the horse Saint Boy has ignited fierce discussion about horses in modern pentathlon, and reanimated ethical debates about horses’ jobs beyond the Olympics.
Ron Eland, a South African Olympian who would go on to represent Great Britain in the 1948 Olympic Games.
Ron Eland Private Archives/Author supplied
Honorary Professor, School of Kinesiology, Western University, London, Canada; Adjunct Fellow, Olympic Scholar and Co-Director of the Olympic and Paralympic Research Centre, Institute for Health and Sport, Victoria University
Clinician Scientist, Canada Research Chair in Injury Prevention and Physical Activity for Health, Sport Medicine Physician, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University