Keeping Up With the Olympics
January 27, 2021
By Isabella Talavera
Copy Editor
2020 constantly had people on the edge of their seats, whether it was due to the news, politics, COVID-19, or a particularly enthralling show, but certainly not for the quadrennial Summer Olympics. The COVID-19 breakout forced the Olympic games to be postponed until summer 2021; for this reason, Tokyo, Japan will host the international games if plans continue on uninterrupted.
However, if the games need to be postponed one more time, the Olympics will be canceled for this year.
“The leaders agreed that the Olympic Games in Tokyo could stand as a beacon of hope to the world during these troubled times and that the Olympic flame could become the light at the end of the tunnel in which the world finds itself at present,” a joint statement released by former Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the International Olympic Committee states, “Therefore, it was agreed that the Olympic flame will stay in Japan.”
The delay, while necessary for the health of tourists and athletes, has inevitably caused problems for people worldwide. According to senior researcher Jun Saito at the Japan Center for Economic Research, in an article for the NY Times, Japan had invested between $32 billion and $41 billion in building competition venues and adding hotel capacity.
As for the athletes, they’ve dedicated themselves to training so they wouldn’t fall behind during the games. Athletes could no longer use their typical practice equipment, so competitors practiced at home with heavy objects as weights, home pools for laps, and pets or children for company.
“You try to plan,” said US wrestler Frank Molinaro, who retired after not attending the 2020 games, said to NPR, “four years ahead, y’know, and sometimes you try to plan 10 years ahead and there’s really no guarantee for your next breath. [Or] the next day. Things can get turned upside down.”
Hopefully, if the COVID-19 vaccines roll out in time and the coronavirus is diminished, then the Olympics will begin on July 23 and end on August 8.
abby rodriguez • Feb 10, 2021 at 11:59 am
February 3, 2021
Dear Corydon Editor,
In Issue 5 (January 27, 2021), Isabella Talavera wrote an article entitled “ Keeping Up With the Olympics.” In this article, copy editor Isabella Talavera wrote about the Olympic Games that were supposed to happen in the summer of 2020. She wrote on how the Olympics have been postponed for the summer of this year and are to be held in Tokyo, Japan. She also explained that if the games have to be postponed again, they will just be canceled altogether. One interesting thing that I learned from this article is the amount of money that Japan has invested into the Games. With the amount of money they have spent which is between 32 and 41 billion dollars what will happen with the buildings they have built if the Olympics do get canceled. I like how the information about the athletes was included about them continuing to train. Before reading this article I had not really heard much about the Olympics, so being able to read this and get this much information out of it has been helpful. In the article Isabella Talavera mentioned the health of the tourist and the athletes, will people be allowed to attend the games? and if so what will be the maximum capacity in the venues?
Overall I liked how the information about the Olympics Games was simple and straightforward. After reading this I learned more about it than I knew before.
Sincerely,
Abigail Rodriguez, Grade 12
Karly Vicente-Barrios • Feb 9, 2021 at 9:42 am
Dear Corydon Editor,
In Issue 5 (January 27, 2021), Isabella Talavera wrote an article titled “Keeping Up With the Olympics”. This article was very informative, I did not know that the Olympics were going to come back this year. I was aware that they were postponed but it was really nice to know that they will be coming back for this year. I enjoyed the article because it was short and interesting it kept me engaged and it didn’t make me question your word choices. The way that you also provided a different perspective towards the Olympics made us realize that Japan was impacted badly economically due to the event being expensive and that the Japanese Government will have to provide a different way to gain the money back. The quotes that you put into the article make it more enjoyable and provide credibility for the information you provided. In the article, you put in a quote that the Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, said “…Tokyo could stand as a beacon of hope to the world during these troubled times…” This quote made me realize that the Olympics can bring optimism to people all around since it is a global event that many people appreciate watching and also many people enjoy participating in.
Sincerely,
Karly Vicente-Barrios, Grade 11
Viviana Aguilera • Feb 5, 2021 at 11:54 am
February 3, 2021
Dear Corydon Editor,
In Issue 5 (January 27, 2021), Isabella Talavera wrote an article titled “Keeping Up With the Olympics”. Isabella does a good job at explaining how covid-19 is going to affect us during the Olympics. I enjoyed how she included how this will affect Japan, because the Olympics is such a big event and brings so many tourists to the country that hosts it. This could affect Japan’s financial plans because of how much profit they would have made off of the olympics 2020. I also enjoyed how Isabella described the Olympics as a sign of hope, it helped lighten the mood and allowed for an easy way to talk about this subject. However, if I had to add one thing to this article I would mention what strategy they used to decide the current Olympic date or something of that manner. To continue, I was also pleased with how she added the small detail that they often prepare for the Olympics 10 years in advance because of how intense the games are. To conclude, I think Isabella Talavera did a great job writing this article for the Millikan Corydon.
Sincerely,
Viviana Aguilera, Grade 12
Audry Lopez • Feb 5, 2021 at 11:50 am
February 3, 2021
Dear Corydon Editor,
In Issue 4 (January 27, 2021), Isabella Talavera wrote an article “Keeping Up With the Olympics”. In this article, she mentions how COVID-19 has made a huge impact in our lives especially the athletes who played and participated in these huge events like the Olympics. The delay, while necessary for the health of tourists and athletes, has inevitably caused problems for people worldwide and mentioned to cancel the Olympics for the rest of the year if cases continue to rise.
Some major concerns about COVID-19 have been that in order to perform well, an athlete must practice constantly and maintain a good healthy lifestyle. Now that places are shut down like gyms which is a place most athletes go to use equipment these athletes now have to work out at home. The down side of this is that some athletes might not have all the tools and equipment needed in order to perform well.
Now that COVID-19 has been a part of our lives for over a year now vaccines and testing sites have been provided. I suggest that these athletes can now get vaccinated and be less worried about going out to public places. With public places being reopened they can slowly go back to their daily workouts and routines that they need in order to perform well if the Olympics continue.
Sincerely,
Audry Lopez, Grade 12
Ethan Navas • Feb 4, 2021 at 9:57 pm
February 4, 2021
Dear Corydon Editor,
In Issue 5 (January 27, 2021), Isabella Talavera wrote an article titled “Keeping Up With the Olympics”. This article was very well written and I enjoyed reading it. I remember first hearing about the olympics being postponed along with everything else that had been either postponed or cancelled and it just added on to how bad last year was. I think something along the lines of everybody remembers the week of the olympics being postponed could have been somewhere in the article because so much had happened in that same week because of COVID-19. I believe that there could have been more of an argument for the olympics to be cancelled or at least the idea could have been expanded on a little more since it is only mentioned in one sentence. You could add the last year the olympics didn’t happen when they were supposed to. Lastly something else that could be added is the constant state of uncertainty for the olympic athletes. I’m aware that there is a quote from retired US wrestler Frank Molinaro about it, however I feel like there could have been more to that part of the story. Besides those minor things it was still a very good article and as I mentioned before was very well written.
Sincerely,
Ethan Navas, Grade 11
Kate Dillon • Feb 4, 2021 at 12:33 pm
February 4, 2021
Dear Corydon Editor,
In Issue 5 (January 27, 2021), Isabella Talavera wrote an article titled “Keeping Up with the Olympics”. I felt this was an amazing article that was extremely informative and helpful. I know many people were wondering what was going to happen since the olympics had to be postponed. In this article Isabella Talavera goes into detail about the postponement of the Tokyo 2020 games and also tells about what will happen if the games are unable to happen in 2021. Talavera tells us that the games will just be completely cancelled if they are unable to happen this year. One thing I really enjoyed about this article was the fact that Talavera pulled quotes from sources such as former Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the International Olympic Committee states. By Talavera doing this, we know all of the information in the article is trustworthy. The Olympic Committee and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will be extremely informed on this subject and are actively involved with it so they are a reliable source. Overall, this was a very informative, well written, and helpful article and I look forward to reading more of Talavera’s articles in the future.
Sincerely,
Kate Dillon, Grade 11
Sam Sussman • Feb 3, 2021 at 9:28 pm
Dear Corydon Editor,
On January 27, 2021 issue 5, Isabella Talavera wrote an article titled “Keeping Up With the Olympics”. The article talks about the hope of if the olympics will be able to happen in Tokyo in 2021 or if they will have to cancel it another year which will have a big effect on the world. Isabella Tavalera is one of the students that is very interested in the Olympics on if they will happen or not. She said that the world “…leaders agree that the Olympic Games in Tokyo could stand as a beacon of hope to the world during these troubled times and that the Olympic flame could become the light at the end of the tunnel in which the world finds itself at present…”, which I totally believe that the olympics will bring a lot of light back into the world. A lot of people find watching the olympics very appealing and fascinating because they get to see all the best athletes in the world in a variety of sports. Also the amazing thing about the olympics is that it will bring people together because people are watching it from all over the world and are very entertained by it. I’m extremely happy that someone is writing about the olympics and I hope it can happen this summer just like you and everyone else hope it happens.
Sincerely,
Samuel Sussman, Grade 12
Isaiah Alfaro Zavala • Feb 3, 2021 at 3:45 pm
February 3, 2021
Dear Corydon Editor,
In Issue 5 (January 27, 2021) Isabella Talavera wrote an article titled “Keeping up with the Olympics”. I thought it was great when you mentioned what the athletes are doing to stay prepared at home and what they use to stay in shape and prepared for competing. I would want to know more about the different things that athletes are doing since the pandemic outbreak and how much it has either helped or gotten in the way of the athletes.
I would like to also know about how the olympics will be when they do happen and on how much it has changed ever since the pandemic. Will the Olympics ever be the same after this pandemic or will we only have the option to watch through a screen? I would like to see these questions added to give me a better picture of what will happen to the Olympics in the future. I also would like to see what the Olympics are doing to make sure that the fans are safe while they are in the stands watching. Everything that was stated in the article was great to inform the reader and leave the reader to know more about the olympics and how much has changed due to the pandemic.
Sincerely,
Isaiah Alfaro Zavala, Grade 12
Johnny O Santana • Feb 3, 2021 at 2:28 pm
February 3, 2021
Dear Corydon Editor,
I like how the author provides evidence with a source when proving a statement, for example, it states “According to senior researcher Jun Saito at the Japan Center for Economic Research, in an article for the NY Times, Japan had invested between $32 billion and $41 billion in building competition venues and adding hotel capacity.” I also love how everything is organized in paragraphs, so it can be read easier. I’d like to point out a concern I have in paragraph 5 when speaking about how athletes have to practice at home, could not practice with their typical equipment, and to use their own home as a place to practice is this true, “Athletes could no longer use their typical practice equipment, so competitors practiced at home with heavy objects as weights, home pools for laps, and pets or children for company.” Is there any evidence to support that claim? I like to suggest adding a reliable source that does support that claim because this will help to understand more. Overall a nice well said article that does deserve to be read.
Sincerely,
Johnny Santana, Grade 11
Patrick Gallagher • Feb 3, 2021 at 12:48 pm
February 3, 2021
Dear Corydon Editor,
In Issue 4 (January 27, 2021), Isabella Talavera wrote an article titled “Keeping up with the Olympics”. From this article I can see that many people are worried that there won’t be a 2021 Olympics and it would bring great sadness to many people especially the athletes that have been training non stop for the last four years to represent their countries. The last time that the Olympics were cancelled was in 1944 because of the war, which means that this would be the first time in over 60 years that the Olympics would have to be cancelled.
Another to add is that If Japan has already invested billions of dollars into the event and hotel space for the athletes, then if the Olympics were to get cancelled for this year that means that all the money that they have invested would be lost and there would be no way to get it back. Furthermore, if the Olympics get cancelled would it change location and japan would lose their chance to host for this year’s competition or would it remain in japan until the Olympics can be executed properly which would be in another 4 years.COVID 19 has truly had an everlasting impact on people around the world and hopefully with the help of the vaccine we can all get over it soon.
Sincerely,
Patrick Gallagher, Grade 12
Bailey Peterson • Feb 3, 2021 at 12:48 pm
February 3, 2021
Dear Corydon Editor,
In Issue 5 (January 27, 2021), Isabella Talavera wrote an article titled “Keeping Up With the Olympics”. This article discusses how Covid-19 has put a pause on the 2020 Summer Olympics that were supposed to be held in Tokyo, Japan. I found it extremely interesting to hear that Japan invested between “$32 billion and $41 billion in building competition venues and adding hotel capacity” as stated by the author. Talavera does an amazing job at mentioning crucial details about the future plans for the Olympics.
It is a bit concerning that there is a possibility that the Olympics could be cancelled completely if the Covid-19 vaccine is not successful. It would be pretty sad because I think it would be the first time in history that the summer games have been cancelled. I find it hard to imagine what these athletes must be going through. They have put so much time and effort into their sport and I know I would be devastated if the Olympics were cancelled this year.
I would just like to close by saying thank you to the editor for a very intriguing article that informed me about what is currently going on with the Olympics. Your structure was great and the article flowed very well.
Sincerely,
Bailey Peterson, Grade 12
Mark • Feb 3, 2021 at 10:55 am
February 3, 2021
Dear Corydon Editor,
In Issue 5 (January 27, 2021), Isabella Talavera wrote an article titled “Keeping Up With the Olympics”. In this article, Isabella does a great job of covering how COVID-19. It was great how she used the Olympics as a sign of hope for everyone around the world since it is a major global event we all can look forward to and can bring in some light for us during these grim times if the global covid 19 Pandemic is affecting us all. She also does a great job of how the cancellation of the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo Japan will finally affect Japan since the Olympics is a very expensive event that turns a profit from the viewers whether that be life or through a screen but without the event happening after the Japanese government sunk the funding into the event will leave a major dent in Japan’s economy. Then she brings up a quote to show that they had no way of telling that the pandemic would happen or have time to prepare since they started planning for the Olympic events more than ten years in advance of the games themselves. IN conclusion writer Isabella Talavera did an amazing job on this article for this issue.
Sincerely,
Mark Alvarez, Grade 11
Justin Stone • Feb 3, 2021 at 10:29 am
In your issue “Keeping up with the Olympics” on January 27, 2021I think you did a great job making the article short enough to keep me (the reader) interested, while still including the more important parts of the topic. Including quotes from the Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the International Olympic Committee really qualifies what you are saying… maybe even another quote from them would improve the article a little. However you quickly covered the bases about the health situation, and what athletes are doing about it. Personally I find it crazy that now Olympic Athletes are doing at-home workouts… I didn’t know that and it really brings the context of the virus (and your article) into perspective. Great content including the figures on how much Japan spent during the times leading up to when the Olympics were originally planned to be held, it gives a different angle mentioning the economic aspect of covid-19… since you usually don’t hear much about the situation in other countries’ (financially).
Really, I don’t have much critique for the article, it was conclusive, yet had lots of information, including quotes and information from people who are important, and also relevant to the topic. If you were looking to improve the article, you can always increase the content itself… adding other statistics and important facts that you can expand on within the article. Overall, great job, just wanted to read more!
Cooper R. • Feb 3, 2021 at 10:11 am
2 February 2021
Dear Coyrdon Editor
In Issue 5 (January 27, 2021), Isabella Talavera wrote an article titled “Keeping Up With the Olympics.” I liked the short and simple journalism she presented. Ms. Talavera simply wrote what was relevant, and while it made it a short read, it didn’t have any unnecessary facts or topics. I did not see anything wrong, like grammar mistakes and bad punctuation, with the editorial though some of the sentences felt like they were worded a bit awkwardly. Though, that’s more of a personal nitpick than anything. I had recently been wondering what was going on with the olympics and happened to stumble upon this paper, which answered some of my questions regarding the event. I was surprised to learn that the olympics committee would just skip Japan if the virus did not improve. I do believe you Ms. Talavera should have gone just a bit more into the future of the event and maybe gotten another quote from a different athlete, though I can’t say if that would ruin the vibe the paper already has established. Again, she did a great job and I was glad to read the paper. I do hope that she’ll continue writing for the Corydon.
Sincerely,
Cooper Robinson, Grade 11
Connor R • Feb 3, 2021 at 8:44 am
I enjoyed reading this article. I haven’t really heard any news on the Olympics other than it being postponed, it was good to read into it a little more. I like how you included the Olympians themselves. Somehow I had not even thought about them. How they still have to train really hard while the pandemic is happening. I was upset that the Olympics were canceled because Skateboarding was going to make its debut. I also like watching sports like baseball and basketball. It’s good to hear from someone like the minister of Japan in how he believes that lighting the touch could be like the light at the end of the tunnel. I’m glad we have something to possibly look forward to this year. One thing you could’ve added into the article is if the Olympics do happen in 2021 how will it affect the 2024 Olympics will they do it in 2024 or will they wait the 4 years and have it in 2025. I feel like that would be some good bonus information for the future. Thank you for keeping us informed on such a big topic.