NAOHISA TAKATO

A Japanese mayor apologized Thursday for biting the Olympic gold medal of a softball player who had paid a courtesy visit after Japan beat the United States in the final. Nagoya mayor Takashi Kawamura had praised pitcher Miu Goto during the Aug. 4 visit, but his eyes were glued to her medal. “I’m really sorry that I hurt the treasure of the gold medalist,” Kawamura told reporters Thursday.

When the Tokyo Olympics began during a rising number of coronavirus cases, the majority of the host nation were in opposition.

Japan had its best Olympic production in every category at the just-completed Tokyo Olympics.

An San and teenager Kim Je Deok paired up to lead South Korea to a gold medal in the Olympic debut of archery’s mixed team event at the Tokyo Games. On a sizzling Saturday at the Yumenoshima Park Archery Field, they held off Gabriela Schloesser and Steve Wijler of the Netherlands by a tally of 5-3 to bring home yet another archery gold for South Korea. The country has now captured 14 of 17 gold medals in archery team competitions since the current format was introduced to the Olympics in 1988.

Hardly half a day passed before politics, the pandemic and blistering heat impacted events across the Tokyo Olympics.

The first day of full competition of the Tokyo Games could mark the turning point for an uneasy Japanese public that overwhelmingly disapproved of the Olympics being held during the pandemic.

The Nippon Budokan simply feels like a special place, even to those who don’t understand the astounding amount of sports and music history that has occurred under its elegant roof.